Coastal resorts are braced for a busy extended holiday weekend: French-speaking Belgium is on holiday. It is May Day and sunny weather is forecast. According to the West Flemish tourism agency Westtoer average occupancy at coastal hotels stands at 80 per cent, with peaks of up to 85 per cent. Ostend has activated its summer traffic plan and in Knokke-Heist a new mobility campaign is set to ease traffic congestion.
It promises to be busy at the seaside this weekend. Thanks to the forecast of fine weather, coastal hotels can expect high occupancy rates and a large number of day trippers are also anticipated. Hotel occupancy currently stands at 80 per cent, but that figure may still rise due to last-minute bookings.
Several coastal municipalities are taking measures to avoid the excessive crowds seen last year during the long May Day weekend. The Belgian rail company NMBS is running 26 extra trains to and from Ostend and Blankenberge.
Ostend Summer Crowd Management Plan
The City of Ostend, our leading resort, is implementing its summer crowd management plan. As part of this, the police are monitoring traffic via an additional control room. There will also be extra patrols on the streets and on the beach throughout the weekend. The city advises visitors to travel by train or coastal tram to avoid traffic jams. The police are urging drivers to follow the road signs, information boards and instructions carefully.
“We have noticed in recent summers that visitors sometimes want to park as close to the beach as possible, even when the car parks in the city centre are already full,” say the police.
“Good alternatives are the Station Zee car park on Konterdamkaai, the Oosteroever car park on Ankerstraat and the Mariakerke Strand car park on Northlaan. From there, you can easily reach the beach or the town centre on foot or by coastal tram.”
New mobility plan in Knokke-Heist
In the jet set resort of Knokke-Heist, a new mobility campaign aims to reduce traffic congestion. This campaign helps visitors find their way to the right car parks quickly. The council hopes to prevent traffic jams caused by drivers searching for a parking space. The police will also be out in force to guide drivers.
Swimming in 2 seaside resorts
For the time being, there are lifeguards on duty only in Knokke-Heist and Nieuwpoort. Swimming is permitted only in those coastal towns. The sea water is still very cold, around 13 degrees. When the weather is fine, people sometimes rush into the water too quickly. The lifeguards advise caution.
Swimming is prohibited in other coastal towns. Anyone who goes into the water anyway risks a fine.