Netherlands
Introduction
Travellers from the Netherlands made 29.5 million outbound visits in 2022, with a total international tourism expenditure of US$18.7 billion.
In 2022, the UK welcomed 1.6 million visits from the Netherlands. During the travellers’ visits, their total expenditure was a record £894 million, with an average spend of £548 per person.
Discover visitor behaviour, travel trade insights, detailed data visualisations for this market – and more. The statistics in this market report are collated from a range of sources such as the Office for National Statistics (ONS), as well as sponsored questions and our own research. For further details, see How we source this information.
Visitor characteristics
Business visitors from the Netherlands are more than three times as likely to be male than female.
More than three-in-four holiday visitors are making a repeat trip to Britain (excluding British nationals, within ten years).
77% of visitors in general are Dutch, while 26% of those visiting friends and/or relatives in the UK are Britons.
96% of departing visitors (excluding British expats) are either ‘likely’ or ‘extremely likely’ to recommend a visit to Britain.
Popular activities for this market
Dining in a restaurant.
Visiting a pub.
Going shopping.
Explore the inbound data in full
Use our visualisations to see data from this market in greater depth and clarity. Compare annual statistics, and filter by age group, gender, trip duration and more. It includes seasonality, trip purpose and regional spread of visitors to UK destinations. These data are based on the International Passenger Survey, conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Perceptions of Britain in the Netherlands market
Out of 60 countries, the Dutch rate the UK highly for ‘vibrant cities’, ‘culture’ in general, ‘contemporary culture’, ‘sport’, ‘cultural heritage’, and ‘historic buildings’ (2022).
Music, museums and films are the cultural products or services most strongly associated with the UK among the Dutch.
Among the most important reasons for choosing Britain as a holiday destination, Dutch respondents stated ‘cultural attractions’, ‘vibrant cities’ and the ‘countryside/natural beauty’ – followed by a ‘good deal’ and ‘visiting friends and/or relatives’.
Areas of strength for Britain include the provision of ‘good entertainment and nightlife’, ‘watching sporting events’, ‘the ease of getting around’, ‘the atmosphere’ and ‘good shopping’.
Activities that appeal to potential Dutch visitors include ‘spotting wildlife in the Scottish Highlands’, ‘enjoying a traditional afternoon tea’, ‘taking a canal boat tour through the waterways of England’, ‘riding the scenic ‘Hogwarts Express’ (Harry Potter train) through the Scottish Highlands’ and ‘walking along Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England’.
Global context
Top-level statistics relating to the population, GDP, tourism expenditure and popular destinations for this market. For greater detail on inbound tourism flows from this market to the UK, see our data visualisations.
Measure | 2022 |
International tourism expenditure (US$bn) | 18.7 |
Global rank for international tourism expenditure | 14 |
Number of outbound visits (m) | 29.5 |
Most visited destination | France |
Key demographic and economic data
Measure | 2022 |
Population (m) | 17.7 |
GDP per capita PPP (US$) | 69,415 |
Annual average GDP growth over past decade (%) | 1.8 |
Annual GDP growth (%) | 4.5 |
Caring for visitors
There is an overall preference for small-scale (family-run) hotels with character and traditional decoration – preferably in a countryside village.
British gastropubs are a good option for Dutch travellers, as they enjoy the atmosphere of a traditional pub with food that is good value for money.
Having a traditional afternoon tea is often high on the wish list while visiting Britain.
Many Dutch holiday visitors tend to start thinking about their trip early, with around one-in-three commencing as early as six months or more in advance. But more than half of trip bookings are placed within two months of travel.
The leisure and travel trade
The Dutch travel trade is composed of tour operators, coach operators and travel agents, as well group travel organisers such as schools, night schools and associations.
Dutch consumers are very independent and Britain is a familiar country to them. As such, quite a few consumers book their holidays directly.
Sea carriers such as P&O Ferries, Stena Line and DFDS Seaways are very strong brands in the Netherlands, and they also offer accommodation and short breaks usually in cooperation with a tour operator.
The Dutch value their private life, and tend not to be keen to go out for business dinners.
Access to Britain from the Netherlands
The key routes and transport modes that connect this market with the UK.
Measure | 2023 |
Weekly aircraft departures | 764 |
Weekly seat capacity | 106,717 |
Airports with direct routes in the Netherlands | 4 |
Airports with direct routes in Britain | 25 |
Weekly ferry crossings | 28 |
Non-stop Eurostar trains per day to Amsterdam | 4 |
It is straightforward to reach Britain from the Netherlands by sea, plane, coach, or train, but the majority of visitors travel by air.
There is excellent access to all parts of Britain from the Netherlands, but the highest capacity is on routes from Amsterdam to London airports.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, scheduled seat capacity on non-stop flights from the Netherlands to the UK recovered to 83% of 2019 levels in 2023.
Those departing Britain by air for the Netherlands are charged £13 in Air Passenger Duty.
Further resources
Market snapshot Netherlands.pdf
Market snapshot Netherlands
Netherlands Market Profile
A document fully detailing the Netherlands market and its tourism figures to the UK.
Netherlands Aviation Profile
A document displaying aviation figures and stats in relation to the Netherlands market and its inbound tourism to the UK.
Netherlands COVID-19 Travel Sentiment.pdf
View the full findings
Where visitors from the Netherlands to the UK reside in their own country.xlsx
Data showing area of residence for visits made from the Netherlands to the UK
How we source this information
We work with a number of data sources to provide a rich and insightful picture of our key inbound source markets. This includes, but is not limited to, data provided by Oxford Economics, the UNWTO, Apex, Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index and from our own surveys and ad-hoc research. The largest share of these data comes from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) by the ONS.
Visit our About the International Passenger Survey page for more information on how this data is collected and analysed.
