Could the Kempen be Flanders’ easiest short-break answer?
Tourism in the Kempen is reportedly growing faster than elsewhere in Vlaanderen, helped by short domestic breaks, cycling routes, nature stays and the region’s accessibility from Antwerp, Brussels and the Netherlands.
For residents and newcomers in Belgium, the Kempen is an accessible short-break region that can be planned without air travel, long transfers or complex paperwork. Its growth also reveals a broader shift in Flemish tourism: more demand for nearby, nature-based, flexible stays rather than only city breaks or foreign holidays.
The Kempen, or Campine, is a cross-border sandy-soil region spanning parts of Antwerp and Limburg provinces in Belgium and North Brabant in the Netherlands. In this article the focus is the Flemish Kempen, including municipalities such as Geel, Mol, Kasterlee, Turnhout, Herentals and Retie, where nature tourism, cycling, camping, holiday parks and short domestic breaks are central to the visitor economy.
Background
The Kempen has long been associated with heathland, pine forests, canals, abbeys, rural villages and later industrial and recreational redevelopment. Its modern tourism appeal rests heavily on Flemish cycling infrastructure, provincial recreation domains, holiday parks and a tradition of domestic family holidays rather than international landmark tourism.
Impact
Regional — The impact is strongest in the Antwerp and Limburg Kempen, where more overnight stays can support cafés, restaurants, campsites, holiday parks, B&Bs, bike-rental businesses and municipal tourism services, while also increasing pressure on mobility, nature areas and weekend capacity.
Opposing perspectives
- Local tourism operators and municipalities
Accommodation owners, cafés, bike-rental businesses and gemeentelijke tourism offices are likely to see stronger short-break demand as a practical opportunity: it fills weekends and shoulder periods, supports local spending and gives less internationally famous municipalities a clearer identity in the Flemish leisure market.
- Nature managers and residents near hotspots
Residents and environmental managers may welcome income but worry about car pressure, litter, noise, erosion on walking paths and disturbance in forests, heathland and lake areas. Their concern is not tourism itself, but whether growth is spread and managed carefully enough to preserve the quiet qualities visitors come for.
- Travellers comparing Belgium with foreign breaks
For some households, the Kempen is attractive precisely because it is close and easy; for others, Belgian accommodation prices and changeable weather can make a short trip abroad feel better value. The region’s challenge is to compete on convenience, nature access and reliability rather than on sunshine or spectacle.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceHet NieuwsbladPrimary· nieuwsblad.beRetrieved 9 July 2026
- View sourceStatbel - Tourism accommodation statistics· statbel.fgov.beRetrieved 9 July 2026
- View sourceToerisme Vlaanderen - Cijfers en onderzoek· toerismevlaanderen.beRetrieved 9 July 2026
- View sourceVisit Kempen· visitkempen.beRetrieved 9 July 2026
