Have you booked your summer holiday yet? Figures from the General Dutch Association of Travel Companies (ANVR) show that more than three million households in the Netherlands have already booked a holiday in January this year. That’s a record; never before has the number of holidays booked been so high in the first month.
Interestingly, the majority of holidays booked are for destinations outside the Netherlands. While holidays in our own country seem to be increasingly popular in recent years. Including holidays to islands such as Mallorca Madeira, Tenerife and Sicily are popular with the Dutch. Not only because of the beaches, the good food and the friendly people, but especially because of the nice weather. People want to be able to enjoy the sunshine in the summer months.
Increased compared to the period before the pandemic
Of course, the number of holidays booked in January is higher than in recent years, as the Dutch are restricted by the travel restrictions in place in many countries during the pandemic. Holidays to Sardinia Corsica and, for example, Gran Canaria are not recommended for a long time or are not possible at all. However, if we compare the number of holidays booked with the period before the pandemic, there is a significant increase. ANVR assumes an increase in the number of holidays booked in January of around thirteen percent compared to 2019.
Italy and Greece are popular among the Dutch
As mentioned, the majority of Dutch people choose to vacation elsewhere in Europe; this applies to 83% of bookings. Italy is the most popular destination for these tourists, followed by Greece and Croatia. People also like to stay closer to home; Belgium is in fourth place in this review. After Belgium, the UK and Germany follow; it is also easy to travel from the Netherlands. The remaining 17% relate to bookings outside Europe. More bookings are expected in the coming weeks. Typically, many people plan their summer vacations in May, partly because vacation pay is paid in this month by many employers.
Increase in holiday pay for people with a gross monthly salary of up to 3,000 euros
Employees with a gross monthly salary of up to 3,000 euros will notice that their vacation pay has increased slightly this month compared to previous years. This is not the case for higher incomes; for them, the situation will even get worse slightly this year. This is the result of changes in the way the tax on wages is calculated, which were introduced by the cabinet last year. To illustrate: with a gross monthly salary of 1,000 euros, a person receives an additional 15 euros in net vacation pay. A person with an average gross monthly income receives 18 euros less in net income.
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