Hospitality industry shows strong momentum after 2014

The horeca (Dutch abbreviation for Hotel/Restaurant/Café) sector showed a higher growth in the last quarter of 2014 as compared to previous years, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Over the course of 2014, the industry grew by 5.6 percent, which is the largest output expansion in hospitality since the pre-crisis period ending with 2007. This constitutes a nearly five-fold annual growth increase in comparison to preceding years. The growth was demonstrated by all branches of the sector, with restaurants reaching the highest mark of 6.6 percent. The adjacent café sector enclosed the branches list with a 3% annual growth. Approximately 64,000 vacancies were filled in the hospitality industry in 2014, a 16-percent rise over 2013 figures. Data also shows that the number of vacancies created in the sector exceeded the number of filled positions for the first time since 2010.