There are more shops and restaurants per capita on the Dutch Wadden Islands than anywhere else in the Netherlands.
Translation by Traci White
The Leeuwarder Courant reports that there are 3,600 companies registered on all of the islands combined, and restaurants and shops account for one-third of all of those businesses. The national average is that one fifth of all local businesses are restaurants or shops.
The islands have opened so many shops and eateries because 1.5 million tourists visit them annually. The density of the numbers in proportion to the number of residents is also high because the permanent island populations are limited.
Shops
According to the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics, Vlieland topped the national list with 18.5 shops per 1,000 residents. Texel has 13.3, Schiermonnikoog has 12.9, Sluis (in Zeeland) has 12.8, Terschelling has 12.6 and Ameland has 12. In total, Texel has 180 shops, Terschelling has 62 and Ameland has 42.
Restaurants and cafes
Vlieland also leads the pack in terms of restaurants and cafes: the island has 35.3 eateries per 1,000 residents. Terschelling has 34.6, Ameland has 34.2, Schiermonnikoog has 26.8 and Texel has 21.7 – the five islands are the national top five in terms of restaurant density. To give some perspective on what the ratio of shops to residents is like on the mainland, Leeuwarden only has 3.6 shops per every 1,000 inhabitants.
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