More Dutch vacationing in the Netherlands, fewer Belgians and Germans

Residents of the Netherlands vacationing in their own country last summer led to an increase in the number of guests at Dutch hotels, campsites, and other overnight locations. This cushioned the blow from the decline in the number of foreign guests. Though in total, there are still fewer tourists than before the pandemic, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

The number of foreign guests fell in the third quarter of the year by 13 percent compared to the previous year. In contrast, the number of Dutch guests increased by 12 percent. Hotels, group accommodations, and camping and cottage parks combined received 5 percent more guests than in 2020.

This figure is still less than before the coronavirus crisis. In July, August, and September, the total number of guests was 12.8 million. During the same months in 2019, 14 million people vacationed here. Fewer people checked into hotels and group accommodations, while camping and cottage sites received more bookings.

There has been a particular decline in the number of German and Belgian visitors during the summer months. This is likely due to the rapid increase of infections at the beginning of the summer. The Netherlands was red on the European coronavirus map making it "a less attractive vacation destination" according to the statisticians.

Hotels, holiday parks, and group accommodations received more guests than a year earlier while camping sites saw a decrease. This is because the campgrounds attracted far fewer foreign guests, especially Germans.

The provinces of Groningen, Limburg, and Friesland attracted the fewest guests last summer than the year prior. Drenthe experienced the same number of visitors. The other provinces saw an increase. In Utrecht, the increase was relatively the largest by 19 percent, and Noord-Holland had by far the most number of guests.