In the first half of 2016, the number of guests in Dutch accommodation facilities grew by 4.5% compared to the same period in 2015. The number of overnight stays grew by a more modest 1.9%. Impressive figures, yet we do see some cracks in the relentless growth of tourism that we have observed in recent years. It could be that a gloomy and wet June spoiled the party and the holiday periods in Germany give a distorted picture, but the fact is that the impressive growth figures of the initial months are, for now, a thing of the past.
While the first three months of this year saw tourism grow with strong figures (+7.9%, +10.2%, and +14.1%), the last three months of this half-year clearly show a decline with barely any growth in April (0.2%), a very decent May (+4.1%), but a poor June (-2.4%). Looking at the number of overnight stays in the same period, we see the same pattern reinforced, with the last three months clearly in the negative (-3.5%, -1.2%, and -5.4%) after a strong start with 8.7% more overnight stays in January, +7.5% in February, and +21.4% in March.
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