Going on vacation is more popular again, although still less than before the pandemic

The Dutch are increasingly using the upcoming fall break to travel to the sun. Compared to last year (up 5 percent), the popularity of autumn vacations has increased slightly more than in the rest of 2024 (up 4 percent), reports the travel industry association ANVR. This continues the trend of recent years, even if the Dutch are staying at home slightly more often this year than before the coronavirus pandemic.

The travel industry is experiencing its best year since the coronavirus pandemic but is still slightly behind 2019. “Due to inflation in recent years, record sales are already being recorded, but we are hearing from Schiphol and our members that the number of travelers is still lagging behind,” says ANVR Director Frank Radstake.

For the upcoming fall break, which starts next week for the South region and a week later for North and Central, Greece, Turkey, Portugal, and Spain are again very popular, according to the travel industry. “We sometimes hear that people save a trip to the Mediterranean for spring and fall and then choose a destination with a milder climate in summer,” says Radstake.

The Dutch were already drawn to southern Europe in late summer. Spain and Italy were particularly popular, but the United Kingdom/Ireland was also chosen as a vacation destination 13% more than in the previous year. However, the Scandinavian countries recorded a decline, with Sweden (-22%) being the outlier, according to ANVR.

Extra holiday time

Both the ANVR and tour operators Sunweb and TUI believe that the Dutch do not prefer the autumn vacations to the summer vacations to go out. The increase seems to be simply due to people opting for an extra vacation moment. “Now that people have become a little more accustomed to inflation, it's once again becoming apparent how keen the Dutch are to travel,” says Radstake.

“Many people experience autumn as the perfect balance: after the more intense summer temperatures, they choose the pleasant climate of late summer,” says a Sunweb spokeswoman, explaining the popularity of the Mediterranean region. So far, the tour operator has booked 15 percent more autumn vacations than last year, following an increase in the summer.

More bookings were also made at TUI and Corendon. "The second week of the fall break is almost sold out," a TUI spokesperson said.