Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium, will be helping 12 breweries to create new visitor centres and thus further promote the Flemish beer culture. With a total of €3 million in subsidies from the European Commission’s recovery fund, the breweries should soon be able to welcome both beer professionals and amateurs under better circumstances.
The European Commission’s recovery fund was created to help the European economy get back on track after the COVID-19 pandemic. Billions of euros have been distributed ever since, and Flanders has received a total of around €2 billion since the start of the initiative.
Visit Flanders, the regional government agency promoting tourism, received €18.5 million, which was spread over four categories: beer & food, nature, cycling, and art. Of the 50 breweries that sent in their projects aiming to attract more visitors since the announcement of the initiative in 2022, 12 have now been chosen and will be getting a part of the €3 million budget to help create new visitor centres. The breweries are located throughout Flanders, although several are centred around Brussels and are specialised in brewing the traditional geuze beer.
“Especially now that the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine has caused many brewers to lose a substantial part of their sales market, we want to use our relaunch funds to provide additional opportunities to put the beer culture in the spotlight”, Flemish Minister of Tourism Zuhal Demir said in 2022.
Flanders as a destination
The aim of Visit Flanders is to put the region on the beer-lover map even more than before. In 2026, Belgium will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of UNESCO’s recognition of Belgian beer culture as Intangible Cultural Heritage – putting not only the quality and the variety of Belgian beers in the spotlight, but also the national café culture, beer’s influence on gastronomy, the craftsmanship of beer brewing, and modern-day innovations. The anniversary will create momentum for the industry, and the completion of the 12 visitor centres will undoubtedly help to promote the local breweries.
Beer tourism aside, a reputation survey ordered by the Flemish tourism agency Visit Flanders recently showed that the Belgian region is more appealing than ever as a tourist destination amongst foreign tourists. While most foreigners mainly associated Flanders with its arts, culture, and heritage scene, the local food and drinks industry was mentioned by 34% of the interviewees.
Moreover, data collected by Visit Flanders also show that the region is indeed benefiting from that good reputation. In 2024, Flanders saw 15 million tourists, a record high and up 3% overall since 2023. Most international visitors came from the Netherlands, France, and Germany, although there was a notable growth in American and Chinese tourists as well.
