Some 56% of the Dutch who are planning to take a holiday this year will get to their destination by plane, according to a new survey by congress and tourism board NBTC.

In total, 85% of the Dutch plan to take a holiday this year, up from 79% in 2023. At the same time, 49% think it is important to take the environment into account when planning a getaway, even though just 8% will head off by train.

The NBTC survey also shows that holidays at home are out of favour, with just one in five planning to stay in the Netherlands for their long break. Last year, 27% of households did not go abroad for a holiday.

Despite the slight downturn, “the domestic market has continued to grow solidly after the pandemic, with domestic holidays now 13% above 2019 levels,” said NBTC director Jos Vranken. Gelderland and Limburg are the most popular choices for a holiday at home.

Extreme weather conditions in popular holiday destinations such as France and Greece are an issue for 39% of those planning to get away this summer, the survey showed.

Increased spending

Research published on Wednesday by ABN Amro economists suggests people are planning to spend 30% more on holidays this year. This is due to both price rises and plans to go away more than once.

On average, the Dutch plan to take 2.4 holidays in 2024, the NBTC research showed.