Germans are completely back in our country. This year more eastern neighbors than ever come to spend their holidays here. And we will encounter them a lot, because according to the latest figures and insights, a record number of Dutch people are going on holiday in their own country at the same time.
“It will be a record year for us,” says Geert Dijks, director of the sector organization HISWA-RECRON, on behalf of the campsites, bungalow parks and marinas. “Never before have so many Dutch people gone on holiday in their own country and so many Germans came to the Netherlands.”
Director Jos Vranken of tourism organization NBTC confirms this. “The Dutch have rediscovered holiday in their own country in the last corona year. And the popularity of their own country as a holiday destination continues.”
That in itself can be called special, now that traveling abroad is also possible again. “That also happens,” says Vranken. But things other than during the pandemic are now keeping us – and the Germans – closer to home. “Like inflation. People are still worried about spending, and no air travel saves a lot of money.”
Foreigners do buy souvenirs and go out for dinner
Dijks agrees on behalf of the camping companies and bungalow parks. “In your own country you have more control over your expenses. You are more likely to take things with you from home and you don’t always go out for dinner.”
That in itself is not good news for the economy. “From a purely economic point of view, you prefer foreign tourists,” says Vranken of NBTC. “They go home with souvenirs and go out for dinner. Ideally you have a mix of tourists from their own country and foreigners.”
Germans are really the exception when it comes to foreign tourists. “Furthermore, the number of foreign tourists visiting the Netherlands has not yet returned to its old level.” But there are more German visitors than ever. According to the NBTC director, this is because the Germans are carefully crossing the border again and the Netherlands happens to be just on the other side of that border. “The Netherlands is one of the most popular holiday destinations for Germans.”
The sector likes to see those German and Belgian tourists. “They don’t just go to Amsterdam and don’t only come in high season.”
According to HISWA-RECRON, the fact that many campers, boats and caravans were sold during the pandemic – not only in the Netherlands, but also in the rest of Europe – keeps the occupancy high at camping sites and marinas. “People want to use it,” says Dijks. For his supporters, Dutch holidaymakers are the backbone of existence. “Anything on top of that is extra.”
Last year’s weather affects our holiday
Whether we go on holiday in our own country also depends on the weather. “Which is mainly influenced by the previous year,” says Vranken of NBTC. And then the tourist season started very nicely. “The amount of rain that has already fallen can no longer fall,” says Dijks optimistically.
The number of Dutch holiday bookings is expected to reach 29 million this year. Often these are short holidays and people go more than once. The sector expects 6.4 million Germans.
