Zeeland to allow some tourism again

From Friday, recreational entrepreneurs in Zeeland are allowed to rent 15 percent of their overnight accommodations to tourists again, provided tat they have their own sanitary facilities, the local safety region announced. Owners of second homes, beach houses, and permanent camping spots may now also overnight in the province again, but they can't rent their homes to tourists, Omroep Zeeland reports.

The new rules will apply from May 1 to 22, after which Veiligheidsregio Zeeland will reassess the measures and see if they can be expanded, or need to be restricted again. According to the safety region, this relaxation is mainly to make accommodation options more flexible for "rest seekers".

"15 percent occupancy is average in May," Jan Lonink of the safety region said tot he broadcaster. "Landlords we have spoke to said they can live with this. Before May 22, it will be clear whether there may be more possibilities again."

Non-Zeeland residents were banned from spending the night in the province since the end of March, due to the coronavirus. The province feared that its healthcare system would get overloaded if hospitals and doctors had to care for tourists on top of residents.