Netherlands' travel advice for other countries not always correct: report

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs' advice for traveling to other countries does not always contain correct or up to date information, BNR discovered in its own research. Information about vaccination requirements or curfew is hopelessly outdated for several countries, the broadcaster found.

For example, Luxembourg abolished its curfew weeks ago. But the travel advice on the Foreign Affairs website still warned about curfew in that country on Wednesday morning. In mid-June, Italy announced that people need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before being allowed to enter the country, one shot is no longer enough. That information was only added to the Ministry's travel advice for the country this week, according to BNR.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged that information may not always be 100 percent correct or up to date. "It can happen that we make mistakes. We try to change that as quickly as possible," they said to the broadcaster. Delays to changes sometimes also have to do with poor communication in some countries, the spokesperson added. "If a measure is very vague or does not apply to everyone, our embassies have to work to understand what exactly is meant. That takes time." In addition, changes can happen in rapid succession, making it hard to keep track.

The ANVR, the industry organization for travel agencies, also said it is difficult to stay on top of all the changes to rules these days. While that's annoying for the traveler, it is inevitable that things will go wrong, Mirjam Dresme of the ANVR said. "You work in a world with people and that world now changes hourly. Then something can go wrong, but as soon as we discover it, immediate action is taken."

Travelers' organization ANWB told BNR that it has a team of 20 people working with all its might to keep travelers informed. "We have sister organizations, emergency centers and other sources. A lot is happening at the moment, with all kinds of countries that are becoming stricter or more relaxed. Hopefully that will be less when the Digital Corona Certificate is introduced from July 1," a spokesperson said.