Dutch residents avoiding Turkey while going on vacation more often

Dutch residents went on vacation more often in 2016, though more of them stuck to vacationing in the Netherlands rather than going abroad, according to figures from NBTC NIPO Research. Dutch also paid closer attention to safety last year, avoiding places with terrorism threat or political unrest. Turkey in particular was a place to avoid for the Dutch last year, with visits there decreasing by 30 percent, NOS reports.

The number of Dutch vacations in the Netherlands increased by 3 percent last year, while the number of Dutch vacations abroad decreased by 1 percent. All in all Dutch residents went on about 35.5 million vacations in 2016.

As in previous years, Germany was the most popular foreign destination for Dutch going on holiday, with 18 million vacations. France came in second place, though the number of vacations there decreased by 3 percent. Spain came in third, with an increase of 11 percent.

The number of Dutch vacations in Turkey decreased by 30 percent, due to the threat of terrorism and political unrest, NOS reports. Vacations in Greece also decreased by 30 percent, likely due to the asylum crisis in the country.

In the Netherlands, the resorts on the North Sea got many visitors. As dit resorts in Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe and the Veluwe.