Tourism in Flanders is guided by a broader Flemish Resilience 2022-26 regional recovery plan, which has the aim of helping all economic sectors, including tourism, to recover from the economic downturn of the COVID-19 crisis. The Plan has a total budget of approximately EUR 4.3 billion of which EUR 130 million is allocated to tourism. The tourism component of the Plan is centred around investments mainly focused on larger-scale infrastructure and supra-local visitor experiences. At the beginning of 2023, EUR 122 million was attributed to projects, which are all on schedule.
The 2030 long-term strategy for tourism in Flanders is based upon the principles of Travel to Tomorrow, a value-driven vision launched in 2017, built on balance and sustainable tourism principles that also considers quality, creativity, and co-operation. This vision was created in conjunction with the private sector and aims to achieve flourishing communities and vibrant destinations. The Strategy has four main objectives:
Ensure the demands of the visitor are in balance with the needs of the destination and its residents.
Connect groups in Flanders to make a more impactful visitor experience.
Make holidays possible for anyone who experiences barriers.
Flemish-wide approach that is high-quality and increases the impact.
As part of the Strategy, Flanders launched an updated programme called Everyone Deserves a Holiday in December 2023. Data indicates that 13% of Flemish citizens cannot afford an annual week of holiday due to financial or health reasons. In co-operation with social mediation offices, the programme allows recipients to undertake a holiday at a reduced rate and strengthens the network of organisations who support socially vulnerable groups.
In addition, Visit Flanders has set up an ambitious Sustainability Plan. Launched in 2022, the plan includes 20 indicators to monitor destination management and the business operations of Visit Flanders, with a time horizon of 2030. Key pillars of the plan are inclusiveness and accessibility, transport, communication and access to information, sustainability of the tourism offer and events, liveability, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The goals for 2030 include: increase in the number of tourism businesses certified with a Green Key Label by 44%; make all conference locations accessible to mobility-impaired visitors; reduce greenhouse gas emissions in tourist accommodations by 50%; reduce primary energy consumption of transport operators by 35%; and reduce business travel emissions by 25%.
