Tourism in Belgium Olivier Dugardyn1 Carla Ghislain 2 1. Introduction; 2. Some Numbers concerning Tourism in Belgium; 3. Legal Framework; 3.1. Background; 3.2. Definitions; 3.2.1. Package Travel; 3.2.2. Linked Travel Arrangement; 3.2.3. Retailer; 3.2.4. Organiser; 3.3. The Dual Mandate of the Retailer Theory; 3.4. Obligations of the Retailer; 3.5. Obligations of the Organiser; 3.6 Peculiarities and Inconsistencies of the Belgian Law; 4. Travel Agencies; 5. The COVID-19 Crisis and Government Decisions; 5.1. Ministerial Ruling of 19 March 2020; 5.2. This Decision’s Reasons; 5.3. The “Corona Voucher Bank”; 6. The Impact of COVID-19 Crisis on the Hotel Sector; 6.1. Notion of Force Majeure; 6.2. COVID-19 and Force Majeure; 6.3. Temporary or Definitive Force Majeure?; 6.4. Force Majeure and Contracts; 7. Conclusion. 1. INTRODUCTION As Belgium is a fairly small country in size, tourism, both in- and outbound, is of particular importance for its economy. The country attracts many visitors, thanks to its multicultural and multilingual character and the impressive variety of its touristic offer, its thriving culture, its historical cities, its natural scenery, its gastronomy, its beers and world-famous symbols, such as Tintin, the Smurfs, Magritte or Sax. Belgium It hosts many expats, due to the presence of many international organisations, such as the EU institutions, NATO, Shape. Belgium consists of three separate regions: the largely Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north, the largely French-speaking Wallonia in the south, and the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region, which is also the capital of the European Union. From a legal point of view, Belgium is rather protective of the consumer and is loyal to the European texts, which govern tourism law and particularly the sale 1 Dugardyn & Partners law firm. 2 Dugardyn & Partners law firm.
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