Monday, April 20, 2026
Netherlands is moving into 2026 with international tourism acting as the main engine of growth, as new data show foreign visitor numbers rising faster than domestic travel and reshaping where guests stay from Amsterdam to the country’s smaller provinces. For travellers, this surge means a broader mix of source markets on the ground, busy city centres, and a noticeable uptick in interest in regions such as Flevoland, Groningen and Friesland that are seeing some of the strongest percentage gains in overnight stays.
Provisional figures from Statistics Netherlands for 2025, released in early 2026, show that the Netherlands’ accommodation sector hosted 52.2 million guests across hotels, campsites and holiday parks, up nearly 2 percent from 2024. International guests accounted for 22.3 million of these, an increase of about 5 percent year-on-year, while domestic travel softened slightly, with Dutch residents registering 29.9 million stays, down around 0.4 percent.
Hotels remained the dominant accommodation type, welcoming 33.7 million guests—an increase of about 2 percent—while campsites recorded the strongest growth, with a 9 percent rise to 5.6 million guests and holiday parks holding steady at around 11.4 million visitors. Across all accommodation categories, international arrivals outpaced domestic stays, underlining the extent to which foreign visitors are driving Dutch tourism growth heading into 2026.
The latest breakdown confirms that Germany remains the leading inbound market for the Netherlands, followed by the United Kingdom, Belgium and the United States. In total, 16.2 million international guests stayed in Dutch hotels in 2025, an increase of roughly 760,000 compared with the previous year, and strong growth was recorded in both US and UK segments.
Longer-term tourism spending data highlight the economic impact of this inflow: in the most recent full year measured, Dutch and foreign tourists together spent €111.2 billion in the Netherlands, about €6 billion more than the previous year. This spending reflects not only overnight stays but also outlays on food, transport, attractions and retail across cities and regions.
Noord-Holland, home to Amsterdam, continues to dominate the country’s tourism map. In 2025 it attracted 16.3 million guests, up 2 percent, and Amsterdam itself recorded the largest increase in overnight stays among major cities, rising 2 percent to 9.5 million guests. Rotterdam and The Hague also posted modest gains of around 1 percent in guest numbers compared with 2024.
Earlier growth cycles already showed how foreign tourism concentrated in Amsterdam, and recent media analysis notes that the capital is managing high demand while debating long-term measures to address crowding and quality-of-life concerns. Forecasts cited by local outlets suggest that citywide visitor numbers could continue to rise towards 28 million or more visits annually later in the decade, leading national tourism authorities to place increased emphasis on spreading visitors more evenly across the country.
The 2025 data also reveal that some of the strongest growth in overnight stays is occurring outside the traditional hotspots. Flevoland, the Netherlands’ smallest province located northeast of Amsterdam, posted the fastest growth, with overnight stays surging 15 percent to 958,000. Groningen and Friesland in the north also saw robust gains, particularly in international arrivals, signalling growing interest in their coastal landscapes, islands and cultural towns.
By contrast, Zeeland and Utrecht recorded declines in total guest numbers, with Zeeland seeing drops in both domestic and international segments. These figures suggest a gradual rebalancing of tourism patterns, as some emerging regions capture more attention while others face short-term softness and may adjust their marketing and product development accordingly.
Within the accommodation mix, campsites stand out as a growth story, with guest numbers jumping 9 percent to 5.6 million in 2025. Campsites recorded the sharpest rise in overseas visitors—up 10 percent—alongside an 8 percent increase in domestic campers, reflecting the popularity of open-air stays and nature-oriented trips among both foreign and local guests.
Hotels show a clearer divergence between domestic and international demand: international hotel stays rose by nearly 5 percent, while domestic hotel stays fell by about 1 percent. This pattern underscores how foreign guests are offsetting slight declines in local city-breaks and business stays, and it reinforces the role of international markets in keeping urban hotel occupancy at healthy levels.
Recent commentary on Netherlands tourism describes the country as a growing vacation destination for both domestic and foreign visitors, supported by strong spending and diversified product offerings. International marketing campaigns continue to highlight Amsterdam’s canals and museums, while also promoting secondary cities such as Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, as well as regional attractions like the Wadden Islands, national parks and cultural landscapes.
Policy discussions also emphasise spreading tourism more evenly, with efforts to encourage visitors to explore outside the Randstad conurbation and to travel in shoulder seasons. The growth recorded in Flevoland, Groningen and Friesland aligns with these goals and suggests that messaging around nature, water landscapes and quieter towns is resonating with a segment of international travellers.
For travellers planning Netherlands trips in 2026, the data point to a destination that remains busy and internationally popular, particularly in Amsterdam and Noord-Holland, but that also offers expanding options in less crowded regions. Visitors focusing on Amsterdam should expect continued high demand for central hotels and attractions and may want to book key elements well in advance, especially for peak months.
Those willing to base themselves in or add nights in provinces like Flevoland, Groningen or Friesland will find growing tourism infrastructure, including campsites, holiday parks and smaller hotels that are receiving more international guests yet still operate at lower overall volumes than the capital. With foreign visitors now accounting for a growing share of total guests and spending, the Netherlands enters 2026 as a firmly established European vacation country whose tourism map is gradually broadening beyond its best-known city while retaining Amsterdam as a central gateway.
Tags: Amsterdam, Amsterdam tourism statistics 2025 2026, Flevoland, Flevoland Groningen Friesland tourist numbers, Friesland, Groningen, Netherlands, Netherlands foreign guests 22.3 million, Netherlands international visitors growth, Netherlands tourism 2026, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Zeeland
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