Dutch travellers visiting U.S. less often; Asian cities becoming more popular

The number of vacations booked to the United States dropped by 12 percent last year, travel organization ANVR reported. The significant drop is mainly due to the high price of the dollar and the rise in flight tax. “This is leading to people more often deciding to go to a different destination,” said a spokesperson for the organization.

Specialized travel agents have already indicated that Dutch people are not staying away from the country due to the election of the new United States president, Donald Trump.

Trips to the American West Coast had the most significant drop, with 24 percent. The East Coast was visited 13 percent fewer times last year than the year before. There was a drop of six percent for destinations in Middle America.

The bookings for the Middle East and Asia increased significantly in 2024. The biggest rise came in trips to China (plus 23.6 percent), Indonesia (plus 16.6 percent), Japan (plus 20.6 percent), Vietnam (plus 23.9 percent), and Thailand, with a growth of 10.4 percent.

“There were also large losers. Not entirely surprising is that Israel (minus 57.2 percent) and Jordan (minus 69.3 percent) were visited a lot less,” said the travel organization.