The number of tourists visiting the Netherlands dropped by 5% during the first five months of this year compared with the corresponding period in 2007.

The Dutch tourist board NBTC expects that tourism will decline by 1% this year. Earlier, the board predicted a growth of 2%.
Recent years have seen a relatively strong increase in the number of people visiting the country. Around 11 million people paid a visit to the Netherlands in 2007.
This year’s decline is attributed to the jump in fuel prices and the expensive euro.