Efteling is busy behind the scenes obtaining a new nature permit to secure the future of the park. The current permit, with a limit of 5 million visitors per year, throws a spanner in the works. The park therefore wants to increase that limit so that there is room for growth and development.
In 2025, Efteling had 4.98 million individual visitors. This means that the park officially remains just under the 5 million limit. According to Efteling, this is due to the calculation method, where multi-day guests are counted as one visit. But at the same time it is clear that the pressure has been mounting for years.
That is why the park wants a new permit. Efteling wants to continue expanding and investing in new attractions and accommodations. But with a strict boundary, growth is difficult.
Growing within the rules
According to Efteling spokesperson Steven van Gils, options are being looked at: “We are looking at how we can grow in visitor numbers, but the number of visitors we want to reach has not yet been determined.”
A new nature permit must ultimately ensure that there is room for that growth again, without violating the rules regarding nature and nitrogen.
The podcast Kort en Bondig by Omroep Brabant discusses in more detail how exactly the 5 million limit works and what that means for Efteling:
How exactly does the nature permit work?
The current nature permit was issued by the province in 2016 to limit the impact of the park on the environment. This is not just about the number of visitors, but especially about what those visitors cause: traffic, nitrogen emissions and pressure on the nature around Kaatsheuvel.
In practice, it comes down to a hard limit: a maximum number of people are allowed in the park per year. More visitors automatically means more cars and buses and therefore more burden on the environment. That is why a ceiling has been agreed that may not be exceeded.
“We really want to adhere to those rules and we will certainly do so, because we find nature very important and we are in a natural environment,” says Van Gils. That is why, according to him, the park is strict about the rules.
Why the new permit is difficult
Efteling has been in discussions with the province for some time about a new nature permit, with the aim of further growing visitor numbers. But that process is still difficult. “Issuing permits throughout the Netherlands is difficult and that has to do with the national nitrogen problem,” he says. As a result, new nature permits are no longer simply granted. “That could take a while,” said the Efteling spokesperson.
Measures have already been taken, but discussion is growing
Efteling has already had to intervene to stay within the permit. For example, school trips are limited and even stopped completely during busy periods. There is also stricter control on peak days, such as the Christmas holidays.
In addition, parking subscriptions will be abolished. From June 15, visitors will pay for parking per visit, so that the park can get a better handle on the influx.
Efteling has no other choice
According to Wessel Wit of amusement park website Loopings, this policy is actually logical. “The Efteling could hardly be otherwise.” On the one hand, the park wants to expand further as a commercial company, but on the other hand, there is a hard limit on the number of visitors.
If that limit is not expanded, he believes there is only one option left: “If you are not allowed to increase the number of visitors, then you have to ensure that the people who come spend more money per person.”
