Most people stay in Europe during the May holidays, but last minute trips to Turkey and Egypt are also popular. Holidays to Asia seem to be replaced by trips to Curaçao or Bonaire. But what is especially clear: despite wars, rising fuel prices and unrest in many places around the world, the Dutch are going on holiday this year. According to the ANWB Holiday Monitor which was published last week, around eight million people will be going out during the May holidays.
The vast majority of holidaymakers (94 percent) stay in Europe. That is a small increase compared to last year, when it was 91 percent, according to the ANWB. The picture for the summer holidays is still early, but the global unrest is not hindering the number of bookings, according to a tour of various travel organizations and airlines. However, people who want to travel further afield are more cautious about booking.
The United States in particular is less popular, according to the ANWB. This does not directly have to do with the war that American President Donald Trump has started in Iran. In a survey conducted in December had decreasedit was also clear that the appeal of America as a holiday destination had diminished. “Asia was still extremely popular at the time. In this measurement we see that all long-distance travel is declining in popularity,” says a spokesperson.
After the start of the war in Iran, many people were stranded abroad: it intercontinental air traffic had largely come to a standstill after Dubai and Qatar were hit by Iranian missiles. These are important transfer ports for people traveling to Asia or to various destinations in Africa. Negative (orange) travel advice still applies to countries in the Middle East.
Closer to home
The Dutch are not easily stopped from going on holiday. Whether it is the coronavirus, inflation or rising fuel prices: they will happen anyway, says the ANWB spokesperson. “If it is not possible abroad, then in the Netherlands. And if Italy becomes too expensive, they go to the Balkan countries. They always look for alternatives.”
The unrest in various places around the world is now causing more people to stay closer to home. 40 percent of those holidaying in April and May stay in the Netherlands, followed by Germany, Spain, Belgium and France. The ANWB has not yet determined what will happen with the summer holidays.
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Many people come to Amsterdam during Easter.
Photo KOEN VAN WEEL / ANP
Other travel organizations also notice that people simply book holidays, but make slightly different choices. Many people stay in the area, Spain and Greece are popular again in the summer. At Corendon the last minute travel popular during the May holidays to Egypt and Turkey. There are 24 percent more bookings compared to the same period last year, while before this a dip was noticeable. In both countries this is because hotels now offer many discounts. “The range of all-inclusives is very large, especially in Turkey.”
Major shifts in holiday destinations are especially visible when traveling long distances. For example, both Corendon and TUI have seen a significant increase in enthusiasm for Curaçao and Bonaire. The Canary and Cape Verde islands are also more popular. Fewer people seem to want to go to Bali or Thailand: “Especially because most flights to those areas went via transfer ports in Dubai and Qatar. Orange travel advice still applies there, so we are not taking anyone there. People look more to the west instead of the east,” says the TUI spokesperson. The Dominican Republic and Cancun in Mexico are also popular. “Undoubtedly this also has to do with the fact that there are direct flights from the Netherlands to those places.”
No transfer
A spokesperson for the trade organization ANVR says that there is a lot of news about rising fuel prices, but that this is not yet actually reflected in the price of airline tickets. The organization sees that people simply go on holiday. “We see that bookings are being made for the summer holidays, especially within Europe. People who choose distant destinations are a little more cautious. There is a lot of speculation about shortages and people find it difficult to make a good decision.” Only people who were going to the Middle East make other plans, the spokesperson sees.
The airline KLM is currently not seeing any major shifts in the holiday behavior of Dutch people for the summer holidays. However, there is a lot of visible demand for Southern European destinations. There is also a lot of demand for certain intercontinental routes, especially to parts of Asia and Africa to which KLM flies directly.
At budget airline Transavia they see the “traditional top destinations” becoming even more popular: Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. Morocco is also popular. Because Transavia only flies within Europe and North Africa, no major shifts are visible. Flights to Beirut and Dubai have been canceled. This has freed up additional capacity that the company is now using for flights to, among others, the Canary Islands.
