How Bruges is tackling its overtourism problem

Another European city is cracking down on short-term holiday rentals in a bid to to curb overtourism.

Bruges in Belgium is a UNESCO World Heritage City treasured for its cobbled streets, quaint canals and medieval buildings.

But its postcard-perfect scenery has left it victim to overtourism. A record of more than 8.3 million people visited Bruges – a city of less than 120,000 residents – in 2023.

Now, locals have had enough.

“People have started indicating that there are just too many visitors,” Bruges Mayor Dirk De fauw told The Brussels Times in August. “If we just let everyone do what they want, things will quickly go wrong.”

As part of the solution, the city has implemented a ban on the construction of new hotels in its historic centre. It has also stopped issuing new holiday home permits across the entire city.

Why is Bruges cracking down on short-term holiday rentals?

Although Bruges’s plans aren’t as extreme as those of Barcelona, which earlier this summer announced a citywide ban on short-term rentals by 2029, they are a step towards controlling overtourism.

It is hoped the new restrictions will help to restore balance between tourists and residents in the beautiful/charming but crowded city.

However, some experts point out that a crackdown on Airbnb-style accommodation won’t solve the city’s day-tripper problem.

“Bruges, much like Venice, is a city closely tied to its harbour, attracting a large number of day-trippers,” says Bart-Jan Leyts, founder and CEO of property ranking platform Otamiser, who grew up in the city.

“These short visits contribute significantly to the phenomenon of overtourism, yet they are not directly connected to the availability of short-term rentals.”

Is Bruges likely to introduce a day-tripper fee?

Speaking with The Brussels Times, De fauw ruled out the possibility of introducing fees or visitor caps in Bruges.

“We cannot and do not want to control access to the city, like Dubrovnik or Venice” – where a day-tripper fee was recently launched to reduce overcrowding – he said.

But attempts have been made to curb the number of day-trippers in the city.

In 2019, limits were placed on cruise ships, with a maximum of two per day now permitted to dock at nearby Zeebrugge, down from five.

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Local authorities also pulled adverts for the medieval city at Brussels airport so as not to encourage further visitors. 

“The influx of tourists brings economic benefits, but it also places tremendous pressure on the city’s infrastructure and community,” says Leyts.

“By managing tourism in a sustainable way, Bruges can protect its heritage while remaining a vibrant, welcoming destination.”

Although tourist crowds have driven locals out of Bruges’s historic centre, the rest of the city remains relatively unscathed – and authorities plan to keep it this way.

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“We want to keep Bruges a city with activities beyond tourism,” De fauw emphasised.