Netherlands Experiences Double-Digit Growth in North American Visitors

The Netherlands welcomed 16 percent more North American visitors in the first half of 2005, compared to the year before, according to Dutch tourism officials. It´s the second year the tiny northwestern European destination is seeing double-digit growth out of the U.S. and Canada.

Conrad van Tiggelen, director North America for the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions (NBTC) in New York, said he hopes to sustain the growth trend, despite a steadily weak U.S. dollar.

“We notice Americans travel to Europe regardless of the current exchange rate, although once in Holland, U.S. visitors are more price-conscious in comparison to previous years,” he said in a statement. “We hope to prolong this double-digit growth into the immediate future.”

For example, four-night stays in Amsterdam, with hotel, roundtrip airfare from the U.S. and entrance to the Rijksmuseum, can now be had for as little as $399 per person.

U.S. visitors typically account for 10 percent of all arrivals in the Netherlands. In 2004, an estimated 960,000 Americans visited the European nation.