Foreign tourism has not returned to the Netherlands en masse, according to the Dutch statistics office.

In the second quarter of this year, traditionally a busy period, around eight million tourists stayed in Dutch accommodation.

Although this is more than double the rate during the coronavirus lockdown in 2020, tourism has not returned to the old levels. Compared to the record year of 2019, the figures were 39% lower between April and June this year, mostly due to a lack of foreign tourists.

Contrary to some perceptions, tourism in the Netherlands has always been largely domestic. In the second quarter of 2019, for instance, there were 7.46m Dutch overnight tourists, compared with 5.94m foreigners.

But in the same period this year, just 851,000 people came from other countries to overnight in the Netherlands, compared with 7.34m locals.

According to the CBS, Dutch visitors have been far more likely to choose campsites and holiday homes for their trips, and hotels have suffered a 52% drop in custom from 2019 to 2021 – with an 82% drop in hotel stays in Amsterdam.