Almost no Dutch making plans for summer holidays: report

Due to the coronavirus, most people in the Netherlands aren't even thinking about going away for the summer holidays. Travel organizations received virtually no bookings for the period between May and August, the Telegraaf reports after surveying various travel providers. Many bookings that were made, have since been canceled, they said.

According to the travel organizations, there is a lot of uncertainty among people. Customers call with questions about whether places will be open during the summer, whether they will be able to travel feely, whether it will be safe. "All questions to which we don't have the answer yet," Ramon van Reine of camping specialist ACSI said to the newspaper.

Cruises and trips abroad are particularly unpopular at the moment, according to travel agencies TUI and Corendon. Safety is the main concern, Corendon director Steven van der Heijden said to the newspaper. "In the coming weeks, the Dutch will gradually move from garden, balcony and park to beach, forest, bungalows, tents, and only then abroad," he expects. "As long as there is a risk of corona, we must continue to prepare for bad short-term scenarios."

TUI expects a catch-up in travel bookings in the autumn, spokesperson Petra Kok said to the newspaper. "There is enough interest again for September and October, also for example for air travel to Spain and other sun destinations," she said.

But that may not be enough to make up for lost summer revenue for the travel organizations. Many customers will make use of vouchers they received for flights and bookings canceled due to the coronavirus. According to figures from the travel organizations, a total value of 300 to 400 million euros in such vouchers are currently in circulation.