Grants for Tourism and Hospitality in Belgium

Belgium's tourism and hospitality sector is supported by a network of regional and federal programs that many operators never discover. Each region — Flanders, Brussels, and Wallonia — has its own tourism agency with dedicated funding lines for accommodation, attractions, events, and hospitality infrastructure. On top of that, horizontal programs covering digitisation, sustainability, and hiring apply directly to tourism businesses.

The challenge is that these programs are scattered across multiple agencies and rarely marketed to smaller operators. A boutique hotel in Bruges, a restaurant in Namur, and an adventure park in the Ardennes are each eligible for different combinations of support — but finding the right mix requires knowing where to look.

This guide maps the Belgian grant landscape specifically for tourism and hospitality businesses. For a personalised match based on your company profile, use Lucas, BelGrant's AI grant assistant.

Toerisme Vlaanderen (Visit Flanders) offers investment subsidies for tourism infrastructure, including accommodation upgrades, new attractions, and visitor experience improvements. These grants typically cover 20% to 40% of eligible investment costs, with higher rates for projects that improve accessibility or sustainability. Hotels, B&Bs, holiday parks, and camping sites in Flanders can apply for infrastructure grants when making significant upgrades.

VLAIO's KMO-portefeuille is available to tourism SMEs for training, consultancy, and strategic advice — including digital marketing training, revenue management consultancy, and sustainability audits. The subsidy covers 30% to 40% of costs up to annual ceilings. VLAIO also offers broader innovation and digitalisation grants that tourism businesses can access for technology projects like booking system upgrades, smart hospitality tools, and visitor flow management.

The Flemish Ecology Premium Plus supports tourism businesses investing in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and circular economy projects — for example, heat pumps for hotels, solar panels for restaurants, and water recycling systems for camping parks.

Brussels tourism businesses benefit from VisitBrussels programs that support events, cultural tourism, and destination marketing. While VisitBrussels primarily provides marketing and visibility support rather than direct investment grants, Brussels hospitality SMEs can access the regional expansion premium (prime d'expansion) for major infrastructure investments.

Innoviris, the Brussels innovation agency, funds technology projects in hospitality — including digital guest experience tools, smart building management for hotels, and data-driven tourism analytics. Brussels also offers hiring subsidies through Actiris that help hospitality businesses reduce the cost of new hires, particularly for young workers and long-term unemployed candidates.

The Brussels energy premium (prime énergie) supports hotels and restaurants investing in energy renovation, insulation, high-efficiency heating systems, and LED lighting. These premiums are stackable with federal tax deductions for energy-saving investments.

The Commissariat Général au Tourisme (CGT) in Wallonia manages dedicated tourism investment subsidies for accommodation, attractions, and outdoor tourism infrastructure. Walloon tourism subsidies can cover 25% to 50% of eligible investment costs, depending on the type of project and its location. Rural tourism, heritage tourism, and nature-based tourism receive priority.

SPW Économie offers the Chèques Entreprises program to Walloon SMEs, including tourism businesses. These vouchers cover consultancy, training, digital transformation, and export support at subsidised rates. The Invests régionaux (regional investment companies) provide low-interest loans and subordinated debt for tourism projects in Wallonia.

Wallonia's Plan de Relance includes specific measures for tourism recovery and modernisation, covering digital booking infrastructure, accessibility improvements, and sustainable tourism development. The Wallonia Export agency (AWEX) also supports tourism businesses with international promotion activities.

Regardless of region, Belgian tourism and hospitality businesses can access federal tax incentives. The investment deduction allows businesses to deduct a percentage of qualifying investments from taxable income — including energy-saving equipment, digital systems, and safety installations. The R&D wage tax exemption applies to tourism businesses employing researchers in areas like food technology, sustainable tourism research, or digital experience innovation.

The federal SME financing guarantee (waarborgregeling / garantie PME) helps tourism businesses secure bank loans by providing a government guarantee on up to 75% of the loan amount. This is particularly useful for seasonal businesses or startups that struggle to meet traditional bank collateral requirements.

Tourism businesses hiring their first employee benefit from a complete exemption from employer social security contributions for the first hire, saving approximately €13,000 per year. Additional hiring subsidies exist for second through sixth employees. Check your eligibility for all available programs with the BelGrant eligibility quiz.

Energy costs are a major expense for tourism and hospitality businesses. All three regions offer dedicated energy renovation premiums that tourism operators can stack with federal deductions. In Flanders, the Ecology Premium Plus and VEKA energy premiums cover insulation, heat pumps, solar panels, and high-efficiency boilers. Brussels offers primes énergie for similar investments. Wallonia provides energy audit subsidies and investment premiums through the SPW Énergie.

The key strategy is to combine regional energy premiums with the federal enhanced investment deduction for energy-saving investments, which currently allows a deduction of 20.5% of the investment amount from taxable profits. Hotels and restaurants with high energy consumption can achieve payback periods of 3 to 5 years on major energy renovations when stacking these incentives.

For a detailed analysis of which energy grants apply to your specific tourism business, ask Lucas for a personalised recommendation.