Holiday houses are an increasingly popular investment now that interest rates on savings are so low, real estate agents association NVM said on Monday.

In total, 3,700 holiday homes were sold last year, a rise of 20%. ‘A holiday home is an attractive and tangible alternative for having lots of money in a ‘virtually dead’ bank account,’ spokesman Roeland Kimman said.

‘The return is not directly in euros but is more in doing something which relaxes you in fresh air, with the sun, sea and woods.’

The average price of a holiday home last year was €140,000 but rise to over €300,000 in popular coastal places such as the Wadden Islands.

Nevertheless, the average price is still down some 17% on the peak of €170,000 recorded in 2008.