Dutch go on holiday more often

4 January 2008

AMSTERDAM – The Dutch will be going on holiday even more frequently in the coming years, according to researchers from NBTC Nipo Research. In a report published on Friday they write that the Dutch will go on holiday almost 40 million times in 2015, compared to 35 million currently.

On average the Dutch currently go on holiday 2.8 times a year. In 2015 they will leave home to spend their holidays at a tourist destination either in the Netherlands or abroad three times a year on average.

Staying with family, friends or acquaintances abroad is also defined as holiday, according to the researchers. Staying with family or friends inside the country is not counted as a holiday, unless the residents were absent the whole time or on most days.

In 2007 81 percent of the Dutch went on holiday once or more. That percentage will increase to 84 percent in the coming years. "Only the extremely poor and very old who have difficulty getting around won’t be going on holiday," says researcher Ad Schalekamp.

The Dutch have become fonder of travelling these last few decades. The Netherlands Tourism and Conference Bureau and Nipo Research expect growth especially in city trips and hotel vacations within Europe.

This is in contrast to the waning popularity of winter sport and camping holidays. The number of vacations people take is growing annually by 1.5 percent.

Subject: Dutch news