The number of tourists staying at least one night in the Netherlands rose for the fifth year in a row in 2014, according to a new report.

The upwards trend has continued into the first six months of this year, with a 7% increase in foreign tourists, the report, which was drawn up by the national statistics office CBS and several tourism organisations, states.

In total, Dutch and foreign tourists spent almost 36 million nights in hotels, youth hostels and campsites last year, a 5.3% rise on 2013.

The number of foreign tourists rose by nearly 9%, led by visitors from Germany, Belgium and Britain. Together, these three countries account for over half of the foreign tourist total.

Tourism is now responsible for 3.7% of GDP, the CBS said.