Texel not completely ‘full’ with Ascension Day: “More than 90 percent holiday homes rented out”

Ascension Day is normally the top weekend on Texel. But this weekend is now ‘normal’ comparable to other special weekends on the island, such as Easter and Pentecost. “We see that it is now a little bit less than in previous years,” says VVV director Frank Spooren. “I think tourism is now normalizing more. Because with Corona, especially in the second year, we had an exceptional situation on Texel. Especially with regard to the tourist occupation on the island. Then we also looked up the tourist ceiling. And every bed was rented out. There were also an extra many day tourists.” People mainly went on holiday within the national borders. And Texel was a very popular holiday destination.

The VVV has just over half of the total number of tourist sleeping places on Texel in its portfolio. “This year we see that the occupancy is adapting more to the situation as it was before Corona in 2018 and 2019. But then we can still speak of a very positive situation. We see that it is a few percent less in the occupancy rate compared to other years.”

According to the calculations, the rental properties are now 92 percent booked. This means that here and there a single accommodation is still available. On an annual basis, the accommodations are rented out at an average rate of between 70 and 80 percent. This means that Ascension Day is still popular among tourists. “But there are also other peak times, such as Easter and Pentecost. And the high season in the summer months.”

Texel has an attraction for day tourism. According to Spooren, this category of holidaymakers has increased slightly. There is currently a debate on Texel whether or not it is too busy. “We have a fantastic weekend ahead of us,” says Spooren. “But when you talk about crowds, it’s not about the number of people. But especially the number of movements on the island, with cars or ebikes. That’s not surprising, because the number of cars in the Netherlands has increased by almost “This has increased by 50 percent. The number of households has grown from 6.5 million to 8.1 million. This means that traffic has increased, also on Texel.”

Too busy

In addition, the number of accommodations has also increased. Many family houses are rented for up to 10 people. “Where there used to be only one car at the house, there are now two, three or four cars,” says Spooren. As a result, there are few parking spaces in the centers. “And then the islanders in particular get the feeling that it is ‘too’ busy. But then it is not about the number of people.”

Entrepreneur Michel Gregoire confirms that it is not busier than other days in the high season. “The occupancy rate is good. Many people are now coming to Texel for a midweek or extended week holiday.” In addition, according to the entrepreneur, more and more day tourists are coming. These people rent accommodation in the Noordkop. “And then they take the electric bicycle and do a ‘day at Texel’. They then go shopping. When the backpack is full, they go back.”

This is an important group for entrepreneurs. “Especially on days like Ascension Day, many people come by boat.” For 5 euros they are taken there and back by ferry. It is mainly the Dutch who holiday on Texel. “I think about 30 percent comes from Germany and then a few percent from Belgium.”

According to Gregoire, the cold spring also had an impact on the booking figures. “The number of last minute bookings is therefore also lower than we are used to. Last spring there were better temperatures. You also notice this in the number of bookings. And that in turn has consequences for the shops and the catering industry. Especially the crowds in the streets and also in stores. During the day there is not much to do in De Koog. “Many people are walking or doing other things. Especially in the afternoon they come to the Dorpsstraat. Then it is really busy.”

But not too busy. “When I look at the figures, it mainly has to do with mobility choices. And not how many people there are on the island. It is partly in behavior. We used to have a shop on the beach. Then people went in the morning packed to the beach and people came back from the beach in the evening. And now they do five things in a day. It’s much more of a ‘zap’ culture. And people move around the island a lot more. Hopefully as much as possible by bike. But they also go by car. Behavior has changed much more.”

Someone who depends on the weather is bicycle rental Erwin van der Linde. He notices this especially in the number of reservations for a two-wheeler. “Ascension Day is one of the busier weekends for us. But it does depend on the weather,” he says. A large part of the bicycles are reserved in advance. That is done a lot. “But individual rental of people who come by is of greater importance. The weather does play a major role in this. You can already see that today. The sun breaks through and you immediately see it blooming.”

Renting bicycles

The entrepreneur also rents out bicycles at the passantenhaven in Oudeschild. “Because of the cold spring there is also less activity there. There are also fewer boats now. But if the forecasts are good, the port could be full again tomorrow. Because Ascension Day is normally a very good weekend for us. Spring was not bad for us, but not great either. How often have you been able to sit outside?”

It is also busier for the entrepreneur, because the bicycles are rented for a shorter period. “And then there are more people at the same time. In the summer, of course, people stay longer. You can also see that at the points of the bungalows. They all arrive at the same time and also leave en masse. In the summer months, this is more spread out. But the May holidays, Ascension Day and Pentecost remain important holidays for us.”

No complain

Van der Linde also rents out bungalows. “We still have one or two small gaps, but that’s due to cancellations. When you see what’s happening in terms of the number of bookings this year, we can’t complain. Especially when you open the newspaper and see what’s happening in this world.”