Brussels tourism sees positive summer figures

The Brussels tourism industry has reported positive figures for this summer, especially in regards to main events such as the Brussels Dance Festival, the Foire du Midi and the Flower Carpet on the Grand-Place.

“Our ambition is to make the heart of Brussels beat by transforming public spaces into a great place for life, culture and free socialising,” said Delphine Romanus, chief executive of Brussels Major Events.

“This summer proves once again that when we join forces with local creators, organisations and the capital’s major institutions, we create a unique collective energy.

"It’s this model of sharing - inclusive and open to all generations - that shapes the future of our projects."

The Flower Carpet alone drew an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 people who came to see it for free from the Grand-Place.

A further 20,800 people bought a ticket to view the Flower Carpet from the balcony of Brussels city hall.

This most recent edition celebrated 160 years of diplomatic relations between Belgium and Japan. About 750,000 dahlias were used to depict ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’ - the most famous work by Japanese artist Hokusai - across an area of almost 1,700m².

The next edition, the 25th, will take place in 2028. Next year will see a new edition of Flowertime, a different flower exhibition at Brussels city hall.

Other events to enjoy strong public interest were Vaux Hall Summer (28,000 visitors), Classissimo (more than 3,000) and the Quai d’été (5,564).

The Foire du Midi saw record attendance with 1.42 million visitors, representing an increase of almost 33% on the previous edition. This is the highest attendance figure recorded since records began.

The fair, which ran from 19 July to 24 August, saw its highest visitor numbers in the late afternoon and no major incidents were reported during the five weeks of festivities, according to Brussels city hall.

“This wonderful edition is down to the excellent work of the commerce department and Entreprendre Bruxelles, in collaboration with the city’s departments and also with the fairground operators,” said the Brussels-City deputy mayor for commerce, Didier Wauters (Les Engagés), who thanked the various stakeholders for “their commitment and cooperation”.

Patrick De Corte, president of the Brussels section of the Union of Belgian Fairground Operators, noted that good weather helped boost visitor numbers.

“Apart from the heatwave days, the weather was marvellous. The weather is either our ally or our enemy - it depends on the year,” De Corte said.

“We had virtually no incidents. That’s really important to me, as a Brussels resident, for the image of Brussels. The fair is well secured and the police are doing a brilliant job.”

This year’s fair also marks the end of an era for Brussels fairground operators. At almost 70 years of age, De Corte is stepping down as president of the organisation he has led for more than 30 years. His successor has not yet been named.