“From Broek op Langedijk, Zwaag, Hoorn, I all see them coming by,” says Monique, owner of Camping Helmzicht in Julianadorp. “They just want to get out.”
A tour of the ANWB shows that the majority of the Dutch are celebrating this year within the national borders. Not only that, holidaymakers look for their rest more often closer to home. “The change in the environment is the most important thing during a vacation,” says Goof Lukken, Tourism teacher at Breda University. “People discover that they don’t really have to go out for the province.”
Rediscovering own environment
That discovery began during the corona period, when traveling abroad was difficult. Many people then learned how beautiful their own environment actually is. In Noord-Holland the range is large: beaches, dunes, lakes, nature reserves and cities are all a short distance from each other. “We live in a real one leisure country”, Says Lukken.” Within a two -hour drive you can go from a busy city to a quiet campsite or the coast. “
Next to Amsterdam is the coast in Noord-Holland, with 16 coastal towns by the sea, the most important tourist attraction in the province. This coast was good for more than ten thousand jobs and a turnover of more than a billion euros in 2015, Research appears at the time. “And inland tourism has only grown since then,” Luken emphasizes. “Camping for sure is very popular.”
The cultural and natural range is also large: the province has 134 museums, hundreds of valuable nature reserves and landscapes, many waters and various historic cities.
What do we want to spend our money on?
Monique sees interest growing every year at the Helmzicht campsite. For many guests, the sea is the most important reason to come. “To walk on the beach,” she says. And the number of visitors is not only increasing. “The season starts earlier and lasts longer.”