It is expected that in February the number of tourists will record a record level. In January, more than 1 million tourists visited our city for the first time, reported Jeroen Slot, Head of Research at the Municipal Office for Research, Information and Statistics (OIS) last week. Hotels are the smiling third.
Horecawatcher Vincent van Dijk states the same: "The hotel market usually collapsed after the Horecava and it was very quiet in January. Now January and February are months in which hotels are full, despite the fact that many hotels have been added in recent years. We see that tourism is more spread throughout the year, even though summer months are still very busy. "
There are about four visitors per 100 inhabitants in Amsterdam every day. This is more than in the other European capitals, in Paris and Lisbon. Amsterdam accounts for about 45 percent of all hotel accommodations in the Netherlands.
Reaching the growth rate in the high season
The overall increase in the number of overnight stays in Amsterdam, according to Slot, is attributable inter alia to the increased hotel capacity and to the number of overnight visitors in the low season. "This has to do with the event policy and reaching the growth rate in the high season."
In the month of August, the largest number of overnight stays is usually booked each year. The absolute growth is due, for example, to largely by visiting visitors from Great Britain and Germany.
Aging and internationalization
"We can see that seasons disappear," says Vincent van Dijk. "Not only literally summer seems to be longer and winter shorter, but we think less and less in seasons. This is because we are going to work more flexibly and organize our own time, but also through aging and internationalization, for example. More and more groups can afford a vacation, so there is always a world region that has a holiday. We also see that in the streets. At one point you are mostly Italian, then Israeli and then Chinese when you're in Amsterdam. "
Whoever has a hotel in the city is warmed up. "Hotels are now opening their doors just wide and ready is Kees, a fairly rich position," says catering consultant Annelies Putman Cramer of Fair Focus.
Less pistons and blowers between tourists
Van Dijk especially sees good sides: "There is a lot about complaining about the crowds in the city and all the rattling rollers over the Amsterdam vowels, but we can be glad that our city has become a world-wide city."
He continues: "We must also look at whether we can become more selective in the type of tourist we want to attract. Perhaps some lesser pipers and blowers and some more people who spend money in restaurants, bars and the theater. You should not do that by increasing tourist tax on budget hotels, but through a better marketing strategy. "