Sponsored by Belgium ranks 22nd in the world in
terms of absolute tourist numbers, with a total of 18.5 million tourists in 2023. Nestled in the heart of Europe surrounded by France, Germany,
Luxembourg and the Netherlands, the country is known for its rich history, stunning architecture, and beer. Last
year, almost 45 million overnight stays were booked in Belgian holiday homes, of which more than half (23.1 million) were booked by Belgians, with the remaining international visitors.
Wever was previously Mayor of Antwerp and has been vocal in his push for an independent Flanders. He became the party leader of the Flemish nationalist and conservative New Flemish Alliance party in 2004. At the time, it was a small party with one federal MP. Te party has since grown into what is now the biggest political force in Belgium. He has pledged to crack down on irregular migration and is also pushing for cuts in social benefits and pension reforms. Te main problem in Belgium is the political preferences
between Flanders and Wallonia, which have their own govern- ments, parliaments and budgets. Te biggest party in Flanders is the conservative Nationalist
party NVA, whilst Wallonia is traditionally more left-wing, with the liberal MR party gaining the majority of votes during the last election. Meanwhile, Belgium is struggling with weak growth. In 2024, it had a 4.6 per cent deficit of GDP and is one of seven EU countries facing disciplinary action for running a deficit above three per cent of GDP. It is thought that unless policy changes are made, the deficit could exceed six per cent by 2027. Government expenditure was €28bn higher than revenue, and this is partly due to the impact an ageing population have on pensions and healthcare, plus rising interest expenses. Te pension age was raised from 65 to 66 at the beginning of
For the country with a French-Dutch community split and a highly complex political system, running without a government is nothing new for the Belgians. Belgium already has a spot in the Guinness Book of Records for spending more than 500 days under a caretaker government from June 2010 until December 2011 when Prime Minister Elio di Rupo took office. In October 2020, Flemish Liberal Alexander de Croo was
voted in and headed a seven-party coalition, taking over from Sophia Wilmes, Belgium’s first female Prime Minister, who had managed the country in her caretaker role for the year pre- viously.
Tis included the height of the pandemic period. However,
despite having no federal government as such, Belgium still had regional and local governments with a caretaker system in place, so institutions such as public transport, schools and health care all continued as normal, demonstrating the strength of the Belgian system. Meanwhile, Croo was ousted in June 2024 after his Liberal
party lost the elections, paving the way for Bart de Wever from the Nationalist party (NVA) to step into the position in February this year, after seven months of negotiations, shifting the country over to the right.
this year, which could see unemployment figures increase. At the moment, this is around 5.7 per cent. Tere has been a rise in energy prices, with gas prices increasing by more than 56 per cent year-on-year. Inflation at the end of 2024 was 3.2 per cent Although GDP growth was around one per cent last year, it remains lower than the expected 1.3 per cent. Some issues include a recession in the manufacturing and retail sectors, even though the services sector is buoyant. Tourism is another growth sector. Belgium ranks 22nd in the
world in terms of absolute tourist numbers, with a total of 18.5 million tourists in 2023. Nestled in the heart of Europe surrounded by France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, the country is known for its rich history, stunning architecture, and beer. Last year, almost 45 million overnight stays were booked in Belgian holiday homes, of which more than half (23.1 million) were booked by Belgians, with the remaining international visitors. Brussels was responsible for more than seven million overnight stays and is the 14th most visited capital city in Eu- rope.
Te country has more than 144,000 tourism accommodations,
of which more than 2,100 are hotels. More than 9.28 million in- ternational tourists visited Belgium in 2023 – just a slight drop compared to pre-pandemic 2019 figures, with 9.34 million. Do-
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