More NL residents plan to go on vacation this year

Eight out of ten Netherlands residents plan to go on holiday this year, an increase compared to last year's seven in ten, the Netherlands Bureau for Tourism and Congresses (NBTC) said in its holiday monitor.

The holiday monitor also shows that fewer Netherlands residents (29 percent) plan to holiday in their home country this year than last year (39 percent). Earlier this year, the NBTC published two scenarios for domestic tourism for the whole year: a stabilization or a decline of about 7 percent.

"Based on the new results of the holiday monitor, we assume that domestic tourism will decrease because more Netherlands residents will holiday abroad," said NBTC director Jos Vranken. "This means that almost 24 million Dutch overnight guests are going on holiday in their own country. We also expect to welcome more international guests this year. The forecasts on this vary between plus 48 percent and plus 90 percent."

The holiday monitor also shows that more Dutch people are considering a holiday by plane (52 percent) compared to the same period last year (41 percent). Vranken called this a striking percentage compared to other countries, where the percentage of flyers remained virtually the same. 

Based on these estimations, the NBTC is cautiously optimistic about the holiday season. But Vranken added that the consumer has not yet completely left the coronavirus behind, and new uncertainties have been added. "The war in Ukraine, declining purchasing power, and declining consumer confidence. These currently appear to have a limited impact on travel intentions and bookings, but that could change with continued uncertainty."