Tourism in Belgium is one of Belgium's industries, and its accessibility from elsewhere in Europe still makes it a popular tourist destination. The tourist industry generates 2.8% of Belgium's Gross Domestic Product and employs 3.3% of the working population (142,000 people).[1] 6.7 million people travelled to Belgium in 2005.[2] Two thirds of them come from the larger nearby countries - France, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Germany.
In 1993, 2% of the total workforce was employed in tourism, less than in many neighbouring countries.[3] Much of the tourism industry is located either at the heavily developed coastline or in the Ardennes.[4] Brussels and the Flemish cities of Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp attract many cultural tourists.[2]
Belgium ranked 21st on the World Economic Forum's 2007 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, lower than all the neighbouring countries.[5] Although the country scored highly for 'natural and cultural resources', it was ranked only 114th in the world for both 'price competitiveness' and 'availability of qualified labor'.[6] In recent years the number of international tourists has stayed relatively stable, but the income they generate has increased to 9.863 billion US Dollars in 2005.
References
- ^ ""More support for tourism"". flandersnews.be. 2007-03-02. http://www.flandersnews.be/cm/flandersnews.be/Flanders%2BToday/tourism/070302_WECOFORUM. Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
- ^ a b Travel and Tourism in Belgium - euromonitor.com
- ^ Tourism Services - World Trade Organization
- ^ Belgium - The tertiary sector from diplomatie.be
- ^ "Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index". World Economic Forum. 2007-03-01. http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/TravelandTourismReport/CompetitivenessIndex/index.htm. Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
- ^ "Belgium Country/Economy Profile" (PDF). Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index. World Economic Forum. 2007-03-01. http://www.weforum.org/pdf/tourism/Belgium.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
See also
External links
- Official Flanders tourism site
- Belgian Tourist Office in the U.S.
- Official Brussels & Wallonia tourism site
- Official Wallonia-Brussels tourism site
- Trabel
- Virtual Tour of Bruges
- Concise tourist guide to cities in Belgium
- Portal to the Belgian Ardennes
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