BRUSSELS, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Tourism serves as a tie linking Belgium and China together and helps facilitate people-to-people exchanges, Li Xin, director of Chinese Market at Visit Flanders, has said in a recent written interview with Xinhua.
As 2026 marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Belgium, Li said tourism creates natural opportunities for people from the two countries to meet, learn from one another, and form genuine connections.
"Our work is rooted in our Travel to Tomorrow philosophy," she said, adding that travel is an inherently positive force that transcends borders and creates genuine face-to-face connections between people.
Speaking about the performance of Belgium's tourism sector, Li said that in 2025, Belgium generated 10,096,345 foreign arrivals and 23,299,657 foreign overnights in tourist accommodations.
Flanders accounted for 63 percent of all tourist overnights in Belgium. "The Flemish region is the biggest pull factor for tourism to Belgium," she said.
China generated 211,000 overnights in Belgium in 2025, representing a growth of 13 percent compared with 2024, Li said.
The majority of Chinese visitors visit the Brussels Capital Region and the Region of Flanders. Li said Flanders received 90,000 overnights, while Brussels recorded 105,000 in 2025.
In terms of the number of overnights, the Chinese market is Belgium's 11th-largest foreign market and its second-largest long-haul market after the United States, according to Li.
Li said there have been three key lasting shifts among Chinese visitors in recent years. First, Chinese travelers have moved from quick checklist-style sightseeing to in-depth, immersive experiential travel. More travelers now spend more time in Flanders, rather than treating it as a short transit stop of multi-country tours, she said.
Second, the travel format preferences of Chinese visitors have shifted dramatically. The volume of traditional large group tours has continued to decline, while independent travel and personalized customized travel have maintained a strong upward trend in the market.
More travelers are opting for flexible, tailored itineraries, with longer lengths of stay, higher per capita spending, and a greater focus on in-depth destination exploration, Li said.
Third, the core channels influencing Chinese travelers' travel decision-making have undergone a fundamental shift. The influence of traditional formal advertising and standardized institutional promotion has continued to decline, replaced by authentic, trust-driven information sources, she said.
Beyond the widespread impact of social media, personal recommendations from friends and family, as well as experience sharing within like-minded communities, have become core factors shaping final travel decisions, she said.
"Chinese travelers now place far more trust on feedback from real first-hand experiences, rather than one-way commercial publicity," Li said.
On China-Belgium tourism cooperation, Li said solid progress has been made in recent years.
She said direct flights between China and Belgium have seen stable recovery and growth, greatly improving travel accessibility. Visit Flanders has also deepened long-term cooperation with Chinese tourism authorities, airlines, tour operators, travel platforms and media, holding regular activities and industry exchanges across China.
"We have also upgraded Chinese-friendly services across the destination to create a more seamless travel experience," she said.
Looking ahead, Li said the greatest potential for cooperation lies in the high-end travel segment, which is Visit Flanders' core strategic focus.
"We will deepen cooperation with Chinese high-end travel partners as well as relevant communities to co-create exclusive, tailor-made itineraries around Flanders' unique luxury offerings, catering to surging demand from China's high-net-worth travelers," she said. ■