More than 3 million German tourists visited the province of Drenthe last year during a day trip. This has emerged from research by the Netherlands Bureau for Tourism & Congresses (NBTC) and the provinces. “Germans fit very well in our province,” says Miranda Horstman of Marketing Drenthe.
The visits from the eastern neighbors yielded Drenthe 350 million euros last year. “What Germans mainly do in Drenthe is shop, go into nature and eat or drink something in the Drenthe catering industry. They also visit many attractions, such as Wildlands and the Drents Museum,” says Horstman.
Moreover, Germans spend on average four to five times as much money as a Dutch person.
“We have also done research ourselves and Germans are really impressed by how beautiful nature is here,” continues Horstman. The bicycle network is important in this, because they are not used to this in their own country. “And what I found striking myself is that we are well equipped for children, so we are very child-friendly,” Horstman notes.
The NBTC research also shows that in the first quarter of this year, 3.5 times as many overnight stays by German guests took place in Drenthe compared to a year earlier. 237,000 Germans spent their holidays in Drenthe.
The research shows that the profile of the German guest fits well with Drenthe’s DNA. “You just see that the German guest mixes very well with the Drenthe resident,” says Horstman. “The German guest enjoys the environment and likes to have contact with the Drent.”
Horstman also concludes that Germans are loyal guests. “Once you have had a German in your province, they are also more likely to come back.”
According to Horstman, Germans like to receive information in their own mother tongue. That is why Marketing Drenthe is busy translating information about Drenthe into German. “We have a translation campaign running for the regions, so we give entrepreneurs in the region a boost to also discover the German market,” says Horstman. “We also have a German website and German guide and do everything we can to make Germans feel welcome.”