Data from the national statistics agency CBS reveals that tourist spending in the Netherlands has not yet fully rebounded to levels seen before the pandemic.

In 2022, both domestic and international tourists collectively spent around €36.5 billion more compared to the preceding year, a period marked by travel restrictions. This brought the total spending to nearly €96 billion.

Despite this boost, the contribution of tourism to the Netherlands' GDP stood at 3.7% in the previous year, marking an increase from 2.5% in the previous year. However, these figures still fall short of the 4.4% achieved in 2018 and 2019.

CBS economist Peter Hein van Mulligen commented, "The overall economy has largely recovered to its 2019 state, with the exception of the tourism sector. Although people spent significantly more last year, it's still below pre-pandemic levels," in an interview with broadcaster NOS.

Of the additional revenue, only one-third can be attributed to foreign tourists. Notably, Chinese tourists registered 308,000 hotel nights in Dutch accommodations in 2019. This figure plummeted to 62,000 by 2022, as revealed by CBS findings. Photo by Lies Thru a Lens , Wikimedia commons.