Bruges has banned the construction of new hotels and introduced stricter rules on short lets (Image: Getty) Yet another European tourist destination is introducing stricter rules on Airbnb and short rentals to contain the spread of overtourism . In the picturesque city of Bruges, Belgium , known for its cobblestone streets and medieval charm, tourist numbers soared to an impressive 7.3 million in 2023.

Taking multi-day visitors, the figure jumped to a staggering 10.1 million. The quaint Belgian hotspot, heralded as one of the globe's earliest tourist targets since the 19th century when it beckoned the elite from Britain and France, boasts a historic centre that shines as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With tourism roots stretching back to 1909 with its initial tourist association, Bruges has watched its visitor economy flourish dramatically. function loadOvpScript(){let el=document.createElement('script');el.

setAttribute('src','https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.

php?s=114945&playerApiId=v114945');document.getElementById('ovp-primis').appendChild(el)}window.

top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.detail&&e.

detail.playerApiId==="v114945"){if(window.document.

getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.float('disable')}}}catch(e){}});window.

addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded',()=>{setTimeout(()=>{if(typeof flagTcfLoaded!=='undefined'&&flagTcfLoaded===!0){loadOvpScript()ExpressApp.Log('[Load] OVP flagTcfLoaded',new Date())}else{document.addEventListener("tcfLoa.