Flemish coast attracts tourists of many nationalities during the Easter break

Hotels on the coast recorded an average occupancy rate of 48 per cent over the past two weeks. That is five per cent lower than in 2025, when the Easter holidays also lasted a day longer. As is often the case, the Easter weekend was the busiest, with an average occupancy rate of 67 per cent. Occupancy levels in each of the seaside resorts was, however, heavily dependent on specific events. Ostend, for example, attracted large crowds over the weekend of 11 and 12 April thanks to the launch of the street art festival The Crystal Ship and the international tennis competition, the Billie Jean King Cup.

“We’ve noticed that throughout the year, the coast is primarily a stable holiday destination with strong foundations,” says Jurgen Vanlerberghe, member of the West Flanders provincial executive and chair of Westtoer.

Flemish coast tremendously popular with Germans

Around 70 per cent of hotel guests were Belgian. Most of them were Flemish, as the two-week holiday period in French-speaking Belgium does not begin until 28 April. However, representing nearly 15 per cent of overnight stays, Germans once again found their way to the Flemish coast in large numbers. German states bordering Belgium shared the same holiday period. Dutch and French tourists, meanwhile, each accounted for 5 per cent of hotel guests on the coast. Finally, a relatively large number of Luxembourgers also made their way to the coast.

A further 1.1 million day trippers also headed to the seaside during the Easter holidays. Compared to 2025, this represents a 15 per cent drop, but the figures are comparable to those of 2024. Thanks to the fine weather, Easter Monday, 6 April, was an absolute peak day with around 110,000 day trippers.