The travel industry is gearing up for its best travel year ever. This is what the ANVR says in the run-up to the ANVR New Year’s reception, which will be held for the first time on Monday evening in the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht. “The year 2023 has ended very successfully and the forecasts for 2024 are more positive than ever before. Holidays and travel remain high on the list of priorities. For the Dutch traveler, this means that experiences and personal encounters are more important than the purchase of products. From a tourist point of view, there has already been a higher number of bookings since May 2023 compared to 2022 and to the pre-Covid year 2019. Business travel will also continue the positive trend of 2023 reinforced in 2024. ́ During the New Year’s reception, we will look back on a very successful 2023 and look forward to 2024 with optimism. “Despite the economic and political uncertainties, many consumers have a holiday with family or friends at the top of their wish list. The rainy weather of the past six months has undoubtedly contributed to this.’
Substantial recovery Turnover figures for 2023 are not yet known exactly, but the ANVR predicts that it will be a growth of 5 to 10 percent compared to 2022, which was already an excellent year compared to the dramatic Covid years of 2020 and 2021. “During the first corona year (2020), the turnover of ANVR companies fell by no less than 69 percent. In 2021, there was a limited recovery. The strong growth (more than doubling) in 2022 continued and even exceeded in 2023,’ says ANVR director Frank Oostdam. ‘The travel product is very strong: the Dutch want to go on holiday, the business community is going on business trips again and are happy to have this arranged by the ANVR travel companies.’ Business Expectations for the business travel market are also positive. Further growth is expected after the good result achieved in 2023. Companies and organizations see the absolute necessity to allow their employees to travel and are very aware of the impact on the environment. ‘More and more companies and organisations are already taking this into account in their travel policy, and combine this with a conscious travel policy and compensating for CO2 emissions. A large part of business travel cannot be replaced by forms of virtual meetings. Think of sailors who have to travel to ships or oil rigs, doctors who have to travel to patients or engineers/mechanics who have to install or repair machines worldwide,’ says Oostdam. With the Christmas holidays behind us, in which the new holiday plans are traditionally discussed and with the start of the Holiday Fair in the Jaarbeurs this week, where many consumers are inspired and informed for their next holiday, the glass is raised with more than 200 travel professionals to a wanderlust 2024. (Photo Shutterstock).
