Today is the National Holiday of Belgium. On 21 July 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha took the constitutional oath to become King of the Belgians.
Tag: Canada
France welcomes 102 million visitors and earns €77.5 billion from tourism in record-breaking 2025
I turned 45 in June. I have this tradition – when possible – of not being in Belgium for my birthday. From Sweden in 2013 to the Châteaux of the Loire Valley in 2014, Lake Orta in 2015, Rome in 2016, London in 2018, North Carolina and Virginia in 2019, England in 2022, and Rotterdam…
Turkey bars Atlantis gay cruise from ports over ‘moral values’
Turkish authorities have barred an American gay cruise from calling at the ports of Kuşadası (Kusadasi) and Istanbul, forcing the ship to alter its Mediterranean itinerary and prompting renewed criticism of the country’s deteriorating record on LGBTQIA+ rights.
Tortola at the centre of a record tourism boom in the British Virgin Islands
Tourism in Tortola has entered a new phase of expansion, following a record-breaking year for the wider British Virgin Islands in 2025. The figures underline both the resilience of the destination after years of disruption and the structural importance of tourism to the islands’ economy, with Tortola at the centre of this recovery.
Dominican Republic welcomed 11.6 million international visitors in 2025
Tourism in the Dominican Republic is not only breaking records, it is evolving into one of the most diversified and structurally important visitor economies in the Americas. The latest figures confirm a sector that has moved well beyond its traditional reliance on beach resorts, combining scale with increasing sophistication.
Aruba consolidates its position as a Caribbean tourism powerhouse
Tourism in Aruba has grown into one of the most robust and mature visitor economies in the Caribbean, driven by strong demand from North America, a highly developed resort sector and a reputation for reliability, safety and year-round sunshine. Unlike smaller or more niche destinations such as Bonaire, Aruba operates at scale, welcoming large volumes…
Brussels Airport is expecting 5.2 million passengers this summer holiday
5.2 million passengers will travel via Brussels Airport in July and August 2026, 4% more than last year. The summer holiday is traditionally the peak season at the airport, with the holiday rush starting as early as Friday 26 June.
NORWAY | Tourism breaks record with 40.6 million guest nights in 2025
Tourism in the Kingdom of Norway reached new heights in 2025 and continued growing into early 2026, as rising numbers of international travellers headed north for fjords, mountain landscapes, Arctic adventures and cooler summer temperatures. The country recorded its strongest tourism year ever, driven particularly by foreign visitors, with hotels, camping sites and holiday accommodation…
NETHERLANDS | Purple Friday to move to the second Friday of October from 2026
From 2026 onwards, Dutch LGBTQIA+ organisation COC Nederland, in consultation with schools, will move Purple Friday (Paarse Vrijdag) to the beginning of the school year. The annual day of solidarity with LGBTQIA+ students will now take place on the second Friday of October, instead of in December.
RED STAR LINE MUSEUM ANTWERP | ‘Drifting Belgians’, the incredible journey of the ghost walkers, until 30 August 2026
Since 1 April 2026, the exhibition ‘Drifting Belgians‘ has been on view at the Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp. In this exhibition, visual artist Mashid Mohadjerin explores the stories of Belgian migrants who, in the 1920s, disguised beneath white sheets, attempted to cross into the United States via Canada.