Entrepreneurs in the tourism sector in North Drenthe can get busy this year. With major events on the roll, the Kop van Drenthe Foundation and the Drenthe departments of Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN) are preparing for a good year. Today, a joint kick-off of the tourist season was given for the first time in Hotel Onder de Linden in Roden.
“We should have done this much sooner,” concludes Viola Mulder, regional manager of KHN in Noordenveld and Tynaarlo. Never before have entrepreneurs in the municipality of Noordenveld, Tynaarlo and Assen jointly kicked off the new tourist season. But 2023 is different. With the 200th anniversary of the village of Veenhuizen, the Van Gogh year in Drenthe and the European Cycling Championships coming up, there are opportunities for entrepreneurs, according to KHN and the Kop van Drenthe.
“The idea for a joint kick-off had been around for some time, but corona threw a spanner in the works,” says Mulder. “The only advantage of corona is that people went on holiday more in their own country. The summers were still quite good during the corona years.”
Now that a festive year is coming up, Mulder thinks it can be a very good year for entrepreneurs. Eric Neef, chairman of the Kop van Drenthe Foundation, thinks the same. “As an entrepreneur you can really benefit from what’s about to happen this year.”
That is why Neef thinks it is important to give an official kick-off together with about eighty interested parties. “As a foundation, we work on the cooperation of the three municipalities in North Drenthe and the tourist business community. It is wise to work together. From a bed & breakfast operator to a large tourist company: everyone can respond to what is going on. going to happen this year.”
The European Cycling Championships in particular offer opportunities, thinks Neef. “It’s a great opportunity to get people here and keep them here for a longer period of time.”
Anita ter Veld, project leader EK Cycling on behalf of the municipality of Assen, also thinks so. “We want to make the European Championship a party in our own city. Like we did in 2009 with the Tour of Spain.”
At the time, the major international cycling race started in Assen and visited several places in Drenthe. Reint-Jan Auwema from Norg remembers that well. “I’ve lived in Norg for 49 years and I’ve never seen it as busy as then.”
He wants to turn Norg into a cycling village again in the weekend from 20 to 24 September. “It’s up to our Norger sports coaches to make children at schools completely crazy about cycling.”
In the context of the European Cycling Championships, Herbert Dijkstra (reporter at the Tour de France on behalf of the NOS) was asked to open the tourist season. He admitted between nose and lips that he was working on a ‘castle book of Drenthe’, especially for the European Championships.