Today at 12:00 • Updated today at 12:35
A sunny outlook, an extra day off and a strong urge to go outside: the Easter weekend is just around the corner. However, full holiday parks and packed campsites are not always guaranteed. “I wouldn’t go camping in the rain and cold.”
Although it still looked a bit gloomy and gray here and there on Good Friday, the Easter weekend promises to be a sunny affair as a whole. But this is no longer a harbinger of a sold-out campsite or holiday park.
“Bookings usually only come in during the week of Easter,” says Leonie Bekkers, co-owner of camping Den Groeidonk in Sint-Oedenrode. “That all depends on the weather, especially when Easter falls so early.”
Saskia de Vries, owner of De Somerweij campsite in Someren, also recognizes this. “If bad weather is forecast or it will freeze, people stay away,” she says. On this Good Friday, her campsite is still completely full at the end of the day. “Last year Easter was very beautiful. You notice that immediately. I wouldn’t go camping in the rain and cold either.”
“It always takes some hard work, but we have all winter,” says the owner of camping Distelloo. The 200 permanent pitches and 45 camping pitches are in good condition again. “I expect an average weekend, with about 50 percent occupancy,” he says. He is also sure: “It also depends on the weather.”
Difficult to attract people
However, there is not a stampede everywhere. “Fortunately it is very busy now, but it didn’t look like this before,” says Ron Bornhout of EuroParcs Kaatsheuvel, as he stands near a row of modern, gray holiday homes.
According to him, holidaymakers are booking a lot later than last year. “People ignore the situation. Easter falls two weeks earlier, it has been quite cold and the world is restless. The picture is different than a year ago.”
The park is quite full this weekend, but that certainly won’t happen automatically. “It causes unrest, which means you have to try harder to fill the park.” For example, the park is putting extra effort into promotion and lower prices to please our eastern neighbors in particular during the Osterferien to cross the national border.
Higher VAT and tax
The price also plays a role in this. Last year, the VAT on overnight stays increased to 21 percent, compared to nine percent in Germany and Belgium.
In combination with rising tourist taxes, this could be a problem, says Arthur van Disseldorp of Hiswa-Recron. “We see a clear decrease in the number of Germans making reservations in Brabant. The increases cause price differences of up to 20 percent. People with a limited budget then make understandable choices.”
What about those high prices?
Hiswa-Recron came Friday with numbers about booking behavior after the VAT increase on accommodation. According to the trade association, German guests in particular are increasingly staying away, and holiday parks in border regions feel this the most.
The research shows that Dutch guests stick to their usual booking behavior. However, higher tourist taxes in some municipalities have an additional price-raising effect.
It is still too early to panic, but it could have an effect in the longer term. “We are already seeing parks with less occupancy,” he says. “If fewer people come to Brabant, this also means less spending.” At the same time, he sees that camping is becoming more popular. “A low VAT rate continues to apply to camping. We see an increase there.”
Before the first cheerful trailer tent travelers and eager tent campers could enter the campsite this Easter weekend, work had to be done first. “We have plenty of time, but we usually start two weeks in advance,” says De Vries. Pruning, cleaning and mowing: everything must be ready. “There has been a lot of hard work in the last two weeks,” says Bekkers. “But we now have a good line-up.”
