Some 750,000 foreign tourists were in the Netherlands for the Easter weekend, a drop of 100,000 on a year ago, the Dutch tourism board said.

The low temperatures and the economic situation appeared to have led to the slower kick-off to the tourist season, the NBTC said.

The Dutch themselves made 20 million visits to amusement parks, museums and other attractions during the long weekend.

In total, domestic and foreign visitors spent over €500m, down from €600m at Easter 2012.