Horeca: hotel VAT 12%, record bankruptcies, Visit.brussels austerity, Pentagon begging regulation

Hotel VAT: 6 → 12% since 1 March 2025

The federal programme law raised the VAT on hotel accommodation from 6% to 12% on 1 March 2025. The Horeca Federation flagged the competitive impact versus European destinations (Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin), notably for MICE tourism (meetings, conferences, business events). 2024 tourist nights were around 8.5 million in Brussels.

Sources: 2025 federal programme law; Brussels Horeca Federation.

Regional tourism austerity: Visit.brussels shrinks

The Brussels government cut the Visit.brussels budget from €22M to €16.3M (−26%) for 2026. Immediate consequences:

• 20 April 2026: closure of the Place Royale tourist desk (Brussels Info Place / Koningsplein). Only the Grand-Place desk remains.
• BD Comic Strip Festival 2026 cancelled (March 2026)
• Iris Festival scaled back

For horeca, the issue is the welcoming of foreign tourists at a time when VAT rises — a contradictory signal sent to an already fragile sector.

Source: BRUZZ Economy (20 April 2026).

Bankruptcies: 17% horeca for 6% of SMEs

Brussels recorded around 2,184 bankruptcies in 2025 (all activities combined). Horeca, accounting for only 6% of SMEs, concentrates 17% of bankruptcies — nearly 3× its share of the economy. At the Belgian level, the sector lost 5,631 jobs in 2025.

Stacking factors: COVID, inflation, staff shortages, rising commercial rents, hotel VAT, regional budget austerity.

Source: BX1; Brussels Horeca Federation.

Pentagon begging regulation (Brussels-City, 20 April 2026)

The City of Brussels Municipal Council adopted on 20 April 2026 a regulation banning begging with children under 16 in the Pentagon, Place Louise and Avenue Louise (fines up to €500), and "aggressive, insistent, intimidating" begging across the City for 2 years. Direct impact on the Pentagon's commercial atmosphere — a horeca concentration zone.

Source: La Libre (20 April 2026).

Coalition agreement measures affecting horeca

• Annual LEZ pass €350 (social €200), per-infraction fine reduced from €350 to €80 — predictable cost for suppliers and delivery
• Plan succeeding Good Move — the revision of mobility layouts will affect horeca zones in redesigned grids
• Administrative reform (Big Bang 25 → 4 pillars) — Hub.brussels and Visit.brussels are part of the consolidation, schedule to be detailed

Bpost: extended strike, impact on horeca

The Bpost strike (mid-April 2026, 18-19 days) blocked deliveries in Brussels. For horeca, consequences hit supplier invoices, paper orders and communication with regular customers. CEO Peeters proposed exceptional 5-6 PM hours ("childcare buffer").

Source: BGM employment dossier / V2 memory (April 2026).