For more than half of the Dutch people, price increases do not play a role in their choice for their holiday this summer. On average, almost 2,300 euros are spent on a holiday of 2 to 3 people. The duration of the holiday is approximately 12 days. Inflation does have a greater impact on young people, so they opt for fewer luxuries and a more limited number of activities during the holidays. This is evident from the Gfk holiday survey that ANVR commissions every year. In recent years, a growing trend has been visible in booking tours. This is at the expense of summer beach holidays and city breaks, which show a small decrease. Despite that, the beach holiday remains the most popular for the Dutch. More than half choose the plane as their means of transport. Booking directly with the provider continues to grow in popularity. This seems to be at the expense of booking through a travel agency or travel company. “We don’t see that reflected in our members,” says Frank Radstake, director of the ANVR as of 1 July. ‘Turnover, especially through independent travel advisors, has even increased in recent years.’ Putting together a trip yourself is a growing trend, which means that people are less likely to opt for a trip and stay in one package. ‘ANVR travel companies also recognise this trend, although the standard package holiday is still popular,’ says Radstake. Tours are gaining popularity. ‘The fact that a tour can often be fully customised as a package holiday is even less well known. As an industry, we need to do an even better job of explaining the benefits to the customer. However, this includes the certainties that people often greatly appreciate.’ Most respondents (almost 80 percent) book their holidays three to six months in advance. A quarter of them choose to book more than six months in advance. People want to be sure that their popular accommodation is still available. When asked what initiatives can be taken to spread the holidays better, half of them opt for the so-called ‘workation’, in which work/school can be combined with holidays remotely. (Photo Shutterstock).
