The cost of a day out rose steeply in the past five years, the central statistics agency CBS said on Thursday.

A day at the zoo, museum or theme park went up by an average 19% over the period, almost double the 11% rise in the inflation rate.

For a visit to a cinema, theatre or festival prices rose 25%, partly due to an increase in the value-add tax (btw) from 6% to 19%, the CBS said.

The CBS said the rise in prices is also due to the loss of subsidies and the necessity of constantly updating attractions and adding new ones.

Investment

A spokesman from Blijdorp zoo confirmed this to Nos television. ‘We are continually investing in the welfare of the animals and the enjoyment of our visitors,’ he said. ‘And there is a lot of competition.’

In order to earn back the cost of a new giraffe enclosure and butterfly garden, Blijdorp had to raise its price by 14% over a five year period.

Goof Lukken of the specialist college NHTV told the Nos: ‘People still take days out but they take their own food and drink in order to keep the cost down.’