Amsterdam hotels see sharp increase in overnight stays: report

Hotels in Amsterdam had a strong start this year. In the first four months of 2019 there were 12.5 percent more overnight hotel stays in the Dutch capital than in the same period last year, De Telegraaf reports based on figures from ABN Amro's economic bureau.

The growth is partly fueled by an increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Amsterdam. In the first four months of this year, Chinese tourists booked 33 percent more overnight stays in hotels in the capital than in the same period last year, according to the newspaper. Hotel stays by British tourists also saw a sharp increase, by 18 percent.

"If the growth continues throughout the year at the same pace as in the first four months, there will be 18.8 million hotel overnights in Amsterdam from 9.5 million guests in 2019", ABN Amro economist Sonny Duijn said to the Telegraaf. He added that the growth will likely be lower in the remainder of the year.

Duijn expects that the number of tourists visiting Amsterdam will continue to grow in the coming years. "Thanks to price fighters in aviation, travelers can travel large distances for cheaper than in the past", he said to the newspaper. "Furthermore, millennials are more eager to travel and also the increase in prosperity and larger middle class are fundamental factors that will keep tourism growing over a longer period."