More Belgians spend holiday in the Netherlands

The number of Belgians who took a holiday in the Netherlands last year increased by 10%, to 1.8 million. The trend is partly due to an increasing preference for short holiday trips, as well as an improved image of the neighbouring country, reports De Standaard.

In total, nearly 14 million foreign tourists visited the Netherlands in 2014, according to figures from the NBTC Holland Marketing, 10% more than the previous year.

The majority of those tourists (more than 3.9 million) came from Germany, an increase of 12% compared to 2013, while the number of tourists from the UK increased by 11% to almost 1.9 million visitors. Belgium came in third place with more than 1.8 million visitors (up 10%).

In addition to the trend towards taking more short breaks, good weather last year also played a role, as did the Belgians’ improved image of the Netherlands as a holiday destination.