New hotels in and around Leeuwarden which have been built for the European Capital of Culture year may experience excess vacancies after 2018.
Conrad Lashley, a British professor in Hospitality Studies at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, says that the city and region have not heeded warnings about the risks of building too many hotels during LF2018.
The Leeuwarder Courant writes that quite a few hotels have been built in the region in connection to the Capital of Culture year, but Lashley says that the city already had enough hotels that could have handled the peak in visitor numbers. On average, most hotels in the area are only at 61 percent occupancy throughout the year, and even during the high season, many only manage 70 percent occupancy.
Lashley’s own research has found that occupancy levels in hotels in past capitals of culture return to normal levels the following year.
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