TUI Belgium reports a marked shift in booking patterns, with travellers favouring Spain, Portugal and Cape Verde over traditional long-haul favourites such as Turkey and Egypt. The trend, highlighted in TUI’s 11 March market snapshot, is tied to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the perception that shorter-haul destinations offer more predictable entry requirements and medical infrastructure. Data from TUI’s agencies and online portal show Western and Southern European destinations capturing 62 % of summer bookings—up nine percentage points year-on-year.
![Belgian holidaymakers pivot to Western & Southern Europe, says TUI]()
For anyone trying to navigate those ever-changing entry rules, VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) can remove a lot of the guesswork. The online platform keeps Belgian travellers and corporate travel planners updated on visa and health documentation requirements for Spain, Portugal, Cape Verde and over 200 other destinations, streamlining both individual and group applications so plans don’t stall while seats and hotel rooms disappear.
In contrast, demand for Red Sea resorts has softened as travellers weigh regional security alerts and EU airline overflight warnings. The surge is already squeezing hotel capacity on the Iberian Peninsula. TUI warns that popular beachfront properties in Andalusia and the Algarve are selling out six weeks earlier than usual, and average package prices have risen 7 % compared with March 2025. Corporate mobility managers arranging family familiarisation trips or home-leave travel for expatriate staff should book early or budget for premium inventory. Airlines are reacting quickly: Brussels Airlines will up-gauge its Malaga route to an A321neo this summer, while TUI fly Belgium plans additional seasonal services to Faro and Funchal. Travel insurers also note a 15 % uptick in policies that include ‘travel disruption’ riders, reflecting lingering uncertainty. For the Belgian outbound market—worth €7 billion annually—the pivot underscores how shifting risk perceptions can reroute mobility flows overnight. Employers with global travel programmes should monitor destination popularity, as capacity constraints can push prices higher and complicate duty-of-care calculations.
For anyone trying to navigate those ever-changing entry rules, VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) can remove a lot of the guesswork. The online platform keeps Belgian travellers and corporate travel planners updated on visa and health documentation requirements for Spain, Portugal, Cape Verde and over 200 other destinations, streamlining both individual and group applications so plans don’t stall while seats and hotel rooms disappear.
In contrast, demand for Red Sea resorts has softened as travellers weigh regional security alerts and EU airline overflight warnings. The surge is already squeezing hotel capacity on the Iberian Peninsula. TUI warns that popular beachfront properties in Andalusia and the Algarve are selling out six weeks earlier than usual, and average package prices have risen 7 % compared with March 2025. Corporate mobility managers arranging family familiarisation trips or home-leave travel for expatriate staff should book early or budget for premium inventory. Airlines are reacting quickly: Brussels Airlines will up-gauge its Malaga route to an A321neo this summer, while TUI fly Belgium plans additional seasonal services to Faro and Funchal. Travel insurers also note a 15 % uptick in policies that include ‘travel disruption’ riders, reflecting lingering uncertainty. For the Belgian outbound market—worth €7 billion annually—the pivot underscores how shifting risk perceptions can reroute mobility flows overnight. Employers with global travel programmes should monitor destination popularity, as capacity constraints can push prices higher and complicate duty-of-care calculations.
