Meetjesland (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Terneuzen’s new season‑ticket rule for outdoor pools cut casual visits, especially from Belgium’s Meetjesland. Alderman Laszlo van de Voorde warns fewer tourists will affect local cafés, restaurants, and shops this summer.
As VRT News reported, the outdoor swimming pools in Terneuzen are getting fewer visitors from the Belgian Meetjesland, in the province of East Flanders, Belgium, this summer. The town thinks this might be because of the new entry rules. Earlier this year, Terneuzen started a system where everyone needs a season ticket to get into the pools.
The plan was meant to make the pools safer and help staff keep track of who comes in. But alderman Laszlo van de Voorde (PvdA/GL) now says the rule might have made it harder for some people to visit, especially those who only planned to swim a few times this summer. He said it is not easy to keep the pools safe and still make sure enough people want to come.
What made Belgian visitors stop coming to Terneuzen’s pools?
When the new rules started, the town said it wanted a very strict way to run the pools. Everyone had to get a season ticket before they could swim. Officials mentioned that the rule made it easy to deal with bad behaviour, but it also kept away many casual visitors.
People from nearby Belgium did not want to buy a pass if they only planned to come once or twice. Now that fewer people are showing up, Terneuzen is thinking about changing the rules so the pools stay safe but are still open and inviting for everyone.
Local alderman Laszlo van de Voorde says many people who visit the outdoor pools in Terneuzen usually come from the Belgian Meetjesland region. This summer, far fewer of them are coming, and it is not only the pools that notice the change.
Cafés, restaurants, and shops in the town also miss the extra customers they bring. Normally, families stop for food or drinks after swimming, but now those visits are not happening as often, and the impact is clear in the quiet streets around the pools.
