Tourism organization: negative sentiment in the sector in Brussels

According to the association, hotel bookings were 3 percent higher than last summer, and the number of employees also increased. However, this paints a misleading picture, stressed David Debin, vice president of Horeca Brussels. He said more restaurants had gone bankrupt than opened, and the general mood was negative.

He stressed that the profit rate had fallen by about 10 percent, while wages, energy and raw material prices had increased, but prices charged to consumers had barely changed. “Many places are no longer profitable, which is why the number of bankruptcies is increasing,” Debin said.

He said that the situation was aggravated by the summer armed crimes. In the past two months, more than twenty shootings have occurred in Brussels, not only in the outer districts of Anderlecht and Molenbeek, but also near the tourist attractions in the city center.

“Belgians feel less and less safe and prefer other cities, such as Leuven or Namur,”

Debin said, adding that in addition to public safety, parking difficulties, mobility policy and cleanliness problems are also keeping visitors away.

According to the organization’s data, the number of foreign tourists has increased, but their spending has become more restrained. Guests are increasingly limiting their consumption to the main course, for example, and skipping appetizers and desserts. The variability of summer weather, fewer events than before, and the different timing of Flemish and French-language school holidays also reduced traffic, Horeca believes.