Thanks to its strategic position as a northern city in Belgium on the coastline with deep-water access, Bruges has one of the most important ports of Europe. Along with Antwerp, highway and railway infrastructures allow it to develop its shipping industry. Bruges is also very interesting for leisure tourism with its medieval heritage as a fortified town that still has its original gates. The cultural richness of the city, on UNESCO’s World Heritage list, and its gourmand appeal as self-declared world capital of chocolate, all combine to make Bruges a popular and charming city.

As of 2017, the city hosts 13 chain hotels and 1,327 rooms. Not far from the port city there is a popular beach destination called Knokke-Heist where there are no chain hotels.