Almost half of Dutch are planning to spend the summer holiday in the Netherlands, an international survey by the Netherlands board of tourism and conventions NBTC has shown.

The organisation, which has been gauging people’s intentions to travel to the most popular holiday destinations since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, found that although the majority of Dutch are eager to go on a summer break, some 45% said they will not go abroad.

The upcoming Easter break will see a surge in home-based tourism, filling up the void left by the Germans and Belgians who traditionally come to the Netherlands around this time.

While this is good news for the tourist sector it will also mean loss of earnings, NBTC director Jos Vranken told Nu.nl. ‘Revenue is down, also because restaurants and other facilities are still closed. And the Dutch spend less in their own country than people from abroad,’ he said.

Vranken said much the same picture is expected for the May spring break.

The NBTC found that vaccinations will become a determinant of holiday behaviour when it comes to holidaying abroad. Half of people in most European countries will only go on holiday abroad if they had been vaccinated, the survey showed.

The European Commission is currently working on a digital vaccination passport which will help facilitate travel and prop up the tourist industry.