Drenthe is one of the most popular domestic holiday destinations in the country
The tourism sector in the province of Drenthe is likely to have a busy few months this summer. This province, which is filled with picturesque forests and nature expects extra bookings now that lots of Dutch residents have cancelled their foreign holidays en masse.
Marketing Drenthe told RTV Drenthe that various recreational businesses had seen reservations pouring in over the last few weeks. In particular, camping and chalet parks are seeing bookings increase for the upcoming period.
Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus, Marketing Drenthe has been investigating how the leisure companies in Drenthe are doing and what they expect from the summer holidays. 357 entrepreneurs from Drenthe took part in a questionnaire, says researcher Miranda Horstman of Marketing Drenthe.
However issue for business owners to overcome is that when they are able to open, they won’t be allowed to operate at full capacity due to the ongoing Coronavirus regulations. This would mean that the holiday parks are technically ‘full’, but with fewer people and less money for their operators.
On average, an entrepreneur expects to be able to accommodate sixty percent of the normal number of guests during the summer holidays, says Marketing Drenthe. This is partly due to the 1.5 meter regulations that will continue for the foreseeable future.
Hotels and B&B’s are more looking forward to the autumn, whilst group accommodation businesses are unlikely to have a good summer, the survey reveals.
Many entrepreneurs in Drenthe are now focussing on the Dutch domestic market. They are, however, keeping a close eye on neighbouring countries, such as Belgium and Germany.
Marketing Drenthe indicates that people from Randstad particularly are looking for peace, space and nature. They cannot yet say whether Dutch people from other parts of the country will also come to Drenthe.
Image via Marketing Drenthe
