Gelderlander.nl: "Tourist record beckons for Gelderland."

Article in the Gelderlander of 30 July 2018. Written by Daan Rieken.

ARNHEM - The record heat might result in a record summer for Gelderland tourism. As a result of the hot weather, campings and holiday resorts in particular attract more visitors than usual.

The exact numbers for the summer season are not in yet, but all evidence points to more people spending their 2018 vacation in The Netherlands than during preceding years. "Many last-minute bookers in particular decide to stay in their own country", says Elsje van Vuuren on behalf of the Dutch Bureau for Tourism & Conferencing (NBTC). "They won't have to cross the border to enjoy some nice weather."

This can be noticed in Gelderland as well. "It is ideal tourism weather", thinks Herre Dijkema, director of the Regional Bureau for Tourism Arnhem Nijmegen (RBT KAN). "Staying at campings and holiday parks in the province is in demand. One could almost speak of traffic jams at the gates. Not just Dutch guests, because foreign guests seem to think the province is great for a vacation as well."

National trends

TopParken, renting out holiday homes throughout the countries and offering parks in Gelderland in the locations of Ede, Wageningen, Lichtenvoorde, Beekbergen, Aalst and Lunteren, can see the national trends reflected in its numbers.

"The bookings poured in from the moment the beautiful weather made its entry", reports marketing manager Chadli Hachani. "The occupancy rate at our parks during peak season reaches about 90% normally, whereas we are now nearing 100%. This will be a record summer."

TopParken also suspects that this increase is caused by more last-minute bookers choosing to stay in The Netherlands compared to earlier years. Hachani: "But people from other countries also notice the great weather in The Netherlands. For instance, the majority of our guests at our parks at the Veluwe used to be Dutch, whereas we now see noticeably more Belgian, German and French people."

Article in the Gelderlander of 30 July 2018. Written by Daan Rieken.