Meet the team behind visit.brussels

Brussels is an authentic city, on a human scale and with countless attractions. It is a place where people meet, where the inhabitants are welcoming, open, curious and proud of their city. A capital of 500 million Europeans, whose diversity nourishes the creativity of its inhabitants, artists and cultural, tourism and event partners. These partners are experts driven by passion, ambition, creativity and collaboration.

We are committed to making Brussels a friendly city where well-being, slow working and slow living are the key words. A place where your language and all others are spoken. A region that dares to lead the way in sustainability in Europe, a champion of the circular economy. A true green capital and a model of social integration. 

Brussels is a destination that offers sustainable tourism, that's open to all and in constant evolution.  

Tourism has entered a new era and is now part of the visitor economy paradigm. This evolution transcends the traditional boundaries of tourism, encompassing the global environment in which visitors and destinations interact while analysing the direct and indirect economic, cultural, social and environmental impacts it generates. The term "visitor" goes beyond the traditional definition of tourist to cover conference attendees, leisure travellers, locals, foreign students and expatriates.

As part of our management contract, our association is focusing on three priority, cross-functional objectives.

Firstly, we are committed to forging a strong identity for Brussels by implementing City Marketing on an international scale and improving the customer experience. Secondly, our actions and initiatives aim to promote a visitor economy with a positive impact, fostering healthy economic growth, enriching the cultural life of the Brussels-Capital Region and paying particular attention to its social and environmental impacts. Lastly, we will work to proactively decentralise tourism to prevent the harmful effects of over-tourism, thus aligning with the Brussels-Capital Region's vision of an economic transition to a decarbonised, regenerative, circular, social, democratic and digital economy.

To achieve these ambitious objectives, we will work closely with all the culture and visitor economy players in Brussels, as well as with other regional Public Interest Organisations. We will pay particular attention to the involvement of Brussels-Capital Region residents, ensuring that their views are integrated into our actions. We will also develop a rigorous marketing strategy to guide our choices regarding target audiences, markets and initiatives aligned with our objectives. Lastly, we are committed to the continuous improvement of our actions and projects, using the results of analyses to refine our approach.

Together, we are shaping the future of the visitor economy, contributing to a more vibrant, inclusive and sustainable Brussels. See you in 2028, to celebrate our collective success.

The objectives listed below reflect this ambition:

• Maintain an overall visitor satisfaction rate of 8/10 for the destination (average rate for European destinations according to TCI Research);
• Contribute to the city marketing objective of reaching 5^th place in terms of image compared to similar, competitor destinations;
• Strive to become an increasingly SMART destination and be designated European Capital of Smart Tourism by 2027;
• Reach 12 million overnight stays by 2030;
• Extend the average length of stays of international visitors to two days;
• Develop a strategy to gain the loyalty of neighbouring markets;
• Increase from 5 to 7 million the number of visitors to museums and attractions;
• Achieve 50 Bike-Friendly facilities, 70 accessible facilities and 50% environmental certification for tourism operators;
•  Reach the top 10 of the Global Destination Sustainability Index, with the aim of constantly improving Brussels’ score;
• Increase the proportion of local visitors by promoting rail accessibility (in all its forms: day, night and high-speed trains) as an asset for Brussels as a destination, particularly in actions targeting neighbouring regions and local international markets less than 4 hours away by rail;
• Develop a specific strategy to spread overnight stays more evenly over all months of the year and analyse performance;
• Develop a tourism decentralisation strategy and a methodology for analysing tourism flows throughout the region;
• Satisfaction among Brussels residents: maintain a Resident Index Sentiment score above the European average (Average European score 52, index produced by TCI Research to assess the attitudes and support of residents for tourism development in their city).