:quality(80)/cdn-kiosk-api.telegraaf.nl/32cec29e-f8db-11ea-9c4f-02c309bc01c1.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1 "German and Belgian code red for Randstad hits like a bomb: ‘A slap in the face’ | Inland")
The Netherlands Bureau for Tourism and Congresses is bewildered. “The tourism sector is again hit unprecedentedly hard by these German and Belgian measures. For the Netherlands, in addition to Dutch tourists themselves, Germans and Belgians are also very important. Demand has actually picked up well in recent months. We hope that the other ten provinces will be spared this ban and that the Randstad will be released soon, ”said NBTC spokeswoman Elsje van Vuuren.
Geert Dijks, director of the Hiswa-Recron recreation dome: “This is a punch in the face. A big downer for our coastal provinces. Cancellations are pouring in en masse. However, there is now extra room for Dutch people to go on holiday in their own country. ”
Last year, more than twenty million foreign visitors came to our country, including six million Germans and 2.5 million Belgians. During the corona crisis, these nationalities were again present in large numbers in Dutch holiday resorts from June, because the journey to their neighboring country was relatively safe. That is now obsolete in one fell swoop. The number of tourists from the UK, Southeastern Europe and distant countries had already been practically reduced to zero due to travel restrictions.
A luck in an accident, according to Dijks, is that it is already mid-September and that due to the beautiful weather and the increasing orange Dutch travel advice in Europe, people are increasingly opting for ‘enjoy a trip in their own country’. “But Germany and Belgium are also important during this period for campsites, bungalow parks, boat rental companies, houses and hotels.”
According to the German RIVM, the number of virus infections in the Netherlands is approaching a critical limit, especially in and around cities. As a result, additional restrictions are expected from the Dutch government on Friday, so that trips in our country are expected to be further restricted.
Quarantine
Germans and Belgians returning home from Dutch red areas are obliged to be quarantined and tested. In some Dutch hotspots, there are already more than fifty infections per 100,000 inhabitants. Hence the serious corona warning of increased risk, especially in the Randstad.
The Dutch travel organizations Riksja Travel and Campspace are now joining forces for sustainable holidays and individual tours close to home (in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium), in nature and away from the crowd. Most of the stays are with ‘locals’ on camping spots with enough space.
Many tour operators, who normally offer holidays outside Europe or around the Mediterranean, are seeking more rapprochement with partners in and around the Netherlands, because the corona crisis is far from over and travel restrictions are only increasing. “Then the corona risk in the Netherlands must remain under control,” said a heavily victimized travel agency.
–
