The Netherlands expects to receive more than 70 percent fewer foreign visitors this year than in 2019. According to the Netherlands Bureau for Tourism & Conventions, their number will remain at 7 million this year. At the beginning of this year, the NBTC still expected the arrival of more than 21 million international tourists. That would have been a record number.
The expectations for this year were high due to major events such as the Formula 1 race in Zandvoort, the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam and the European Football Championship, which would partly be played in Amsterdam. Due to the corona pandemic, all those events were canceled this year.
The gloomy annual figures come at the start of the third National Tourism Summit today. According to NBTC director Jos Vranken, the figures are comparable to those of the 1990s. He does not expect the Dutch tourist sector to recover until 2024.
Less vacation plans
Besides the fact that there were far fewer foreign tourists, the Dutch also go on holiday less in their own country, says the NBTC. Compared to 2019, more than a third have decided not to use a domestic destination.
The coming period does not bode well for the sector either. The fourth measurement of the Holiday Monitor of the NBTC and the Royal Schiphol Group shows that the Dutch in particular, but also Belgians, also have fewer holiday plans for the rest of this year.
In the same measurement, more than half of those surveyed say they plan to go on vacation less often next year. The NBTC therefore advocates targeted investments to restore the sector in a sustainable manner.
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