When making holiday choices, Flemings seem to resemble the Dutch more than their Walloon compatriots. This is evident from an analysis of all bookings registered by tour operator Corendon since the beginning of this year in the Netherlands, Flanders, and French-speaking Belgium. The booking time and travel period, in particular, bring Flemings and the Dutch closer together. Walloons book later, travel more often during the summer holidays, and choose Egypt remarkably frequently.
Fleming and Dutchman books in the past
Of Flemish holidaymakers, 23% book less than 30 days before departure, almost the same as in the Netherlands (22,7%). In Wallonia, that share rises to 32,7%. Conversely, 31,7% of Flemings book at least four months in advance, compared to 30,2% of the Dutch and only 20,5% of the Walloons. Flemings and the Dutch therefore clearly book their trips well in advance more often.
Waal is more of a pronounced summer vacationer
Flanders and the Netherlands are also closer in terms of travel periods. In Wallonia, 41% of bookings are for departure in July or August, compared to 35% in Flanders and 32% in the Netherlands. For travel during the low season, the share is 22,3% in Flanders and 23,5% in the Netherlands, but only 15,5% in Wallonia.
Egypt divides the country
The choice of destination also differs. Almost one in four Walloon bookings (23,7%) is to Egypt, compared to 11,7% in Flanders and 7,6% in the Netherlands. Flemings, on the other hand, look more emphatically towards Southern Europe: Spain and Greece together account for 45,1% of Flemish bookings, compared to 30,7% in Wallonia.
Walloons choose five stars more often, Flemings spend more
Flemings and Walloons choose five-star hotels more often than the Dutch: 46,3% of Walloon bookings and 40,7% of Flemish bookings, compared to 30,7% in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, Walloons pay the least on average per person per night: €129, compared to €145 for Flemings and €141 for the Dutch. This is partly related to their greater preference for relatively affordable destinations such as Turkey and Egypt.
“ We are quick to speak of 'the Belgian holidaymaker' and pit them against the Dutch. Our booking figures show that this reality is more nuanced. On key aspects, such as how far in advance people book and when they leave for their holidays, Flemings are surprisingly close to the Dutch. The differences with Wallonia are sometimes much greater. A language border therefore clearly does not automatically mean the same holiday culture.”
Christophe Lievens, spokesperson at Corendon in Belgium
Source and more info: www.corendon.be