Only Flemish people on Easter holidays and they are going up to the sun again
For the Easter holidays, TUI Belgium registered fewer bookings this year than last year. This makes perfect sense because the French-speaking Belgians took their last Easter holiday in 2022 and from this year have a spring holiday that starts the last weekend of April. If we compare the current bookings with the number of Flemish holidaymakers who left for the Easter holidays last year, the picture is very positive. The Fleming clearly leaves behind the concerns of recent years, both in connection with corona and the energy crisis. More than two-thirds choose a holiday by plane and Spain remains the most popular holiday destination. About 40% leave in the first weekend and 40% in the slightly cheaper second weekend. The remaining 20% will leave in the first midweek.
The figures from TUI Belgium, the largest travel organisation in the country, clearly show that most Flemish people who leave for the Easter holidays prefer the warm temperatures in the south. No fewer than 72% of travellers opt for a holiday by air to the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea or the Atlantic Ocean. Spain remains by far the most popular destination with just under half of the total number of holidaymakers. The vast majority of travellers who book a package holiday with tour operator TUI opt for the Canary Islands. Those who only book a ticket with TUI fly mainly go to the Spanish Costa Blanca (Alicante) and Costa del Sol (Malaga), where many Flemish people have a second residence.
Many Belgian families also opt for the excellent price-quality ratio at non-European destinations: Egypt, Turkey, Morocco and Tunisia are experiencing strong growth.
Despite inflation, the average travel budget has remained about the same as last year. This is because the Easter holiday still occurs in fewer and fewer European regions, such as among the French-speaking Belgians, in the Netherlands and in France. As a result, hoteliers no longer regard this period as a pronounced high season and charge more interesting prices than before (see the press release of 3 March 2023 on this theme in the appendix).
The Easter holidays are traditionally an important period for snow holidays. The ski season may be coming to an end, but that is precisely why the prices are by far the most interesting. In general, France remains the clear market leader, but more and more Flemish people are opting for Austria and are booking a stay in a cosy alpine hotel. The French Savoie is the absolute leader in terms of ski regions. Tyrol is by far the most popular in Austria. Things are looking good for skiers this year as fresh snow is expected in the Alps this week. Ten percent of all travellers opt for a winter sports holiday.
There are few surprises in urban tourism: the top 5 consist of classics that have been among the most popular city trips for years. Berlin, Amsterdam, Milan, Malaga and New York are not yet top destinations but are on the rise.
The guided tours of TUI tours are also very popular during the Easter holidays. The most successful tour destinations are Jordan, Morocco, Cuba, Thailand and Dubai.
Many travellers also want to participate in experiences at their holiday destination. In the past, excursions were usually booked on-site via the tour guide, but more and more holidaymakers want to book their trips in advance via TUI Experiences. The most popular excursions during the Easter holidays are the island tour in Gran Canaria, ‘Postcards of Sal’ (Cape Verde), a city visit to Valencia from the Costa Blanca, the Bounty island of Saona in the Dominican Republic and Gibraltar from the Costa del Sol.
Top 5 countries for flying holidays: Spain, Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco
Top 5 regions for flying holidays: Tenerife, Turkish Riviera, Gran Canaria, Hurghada, Costa del Sol
Top 5 ski holidays: France, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Germany
Top 5 city trips: Paris, Rome, Barcelona, London, Lisbon
A word of explanation
The Easter holiday, which starts at the beginning of April, is only a Flemish holiday for the first time in Belgian history. The French-speaking Belgians have converted the Easter holidays into two weeks of school holidays in May. For the tourism sector, this means that two weeks of high season in the spring will now be extended to four weeks, but with a smaller market.
This is good news for travellers, because a longer high season means a lower peak in prices. As a result, the Flemish holidaymaker enjoys more interesting offers during the Easter holidays than in previous years and there are even discounts of up to 60%.
In the entire economy, the price of a product is determined by the law of supply and demand. This is also the case in the tourism sector, where high and low seasons have always played an important role in pricing. A period of high season is traditionally linked to the school holidays, when demand often exceeds supply.
Until last school year, school holidays were common throughout the country, but since this school year, French-language education has radically changed these periods. From now on, the French language system applies a general rule of eight weeks of lessons, followed by 2 weeks of vacation. According to this system, the Easter holiday then follows too soon after the carnival holiday. That is why it was converted into a May holiday that starts on May 1, 8 weeks after the end of the crocus holiday. In this way, only Flanders still has Easter holidays, by definition a smaller market than the entire country.
The lower demand then logically results in lower prices. Also for the last-minute period, which starts this weekend, higher discounts apply from the start. As a result, the Flemish traveller can already find a trip at a discount of 50% to even 60% on the basic price. Last-minute promotions often only apply to less popular hotels that still have rooms available, but due to the disappearance of the French-speaking market, there is currently still availability in various top hotels.
One week is already possible for €399 per person in an all-in five-star hotel (El Mouradi Palm Marina in Tunisia). Despite the increased inflation, this is a very democratic budget that was hardly imaginable during the Easter holidays in previous years.
