The Netherlands is expecting an influx of German and Belgian tourists this summer, according to predictions from NBTC Holland Marketing.

In figures published earlier this month, reported in the Telegraaf on Friday, the organisation said it expects 3.6 million foreign tourists this year, a 3% rise on last year.

It also predicts that 4.7 million Dutch people will holiday in their own country, a 2% rise on last year, and together bringing a €3.5 billion windfall for the tourist industry in July and August.

‘The growth in the number of foreign visitors comes mostly from the neighbouring Germany and Belgium,’ it says in a press release. ‘About half of foreign visitors come from these neighbouring countries. The Germans and the Belgiums are enthusiastic about the Dutch coast.’

The Telegraaf quotes the organisation as predicting a record year, and attributing the rise to people swapping far-flung destinations such as Turkey for a local break.

Comfort

Jurgen van Cutsem, head of Roompot holiday park business told the Telegraaf that the number of German and Belgian bookings were more than 15% higher for this summer. He reportedly said German guests are reputed to have high standards: ‘They want more comfort, also when they are camping, with things like wifi, their own toilets, a swimming pool, supermarket and bar.’

Recron, an organisation representing the tourist industry, told the Telegraaf that bookings from Germany were indeed up in Zeeland, beach resorts and the Wadden Islands. ‘We hear cheering sounds from bungalow parks and campsites,’ a spokeswoman reportedly said.

Schiphol airport, meanwhile, has announced that in June there were 6.1 million visitors, more than 7% up on the same month last year.

Separately, the Royal Schiphol Group has refuted reports in the NRC on Friday that part of the stone façade of the Hilton hotel at the airport is being replaced due to fire safety concerns. It said in a news release that ‘this component did not meet one specific aspect of the statutory “fire class” requirements’ but that external research shows the ‘hotel is fireproof’.