Decrease in number of holidays of Dutch people stops
NBTC-NIPO Research expects that the Dutch will take as many holidays in 2015 as in 2014. This will put an end to the slight decreases of the past two years. However, a real recovery of the holiday market will take a little longer.
This is based, among other things, on large-scale research into the holiday intentions of the Dutch for 2015.
Economic recovery does not immediately lead to more holidays
The survey shows that more than 70% of the Dutch want to go on holiday this year. Compared to last year, this means a decrease of about 1,5 percentage points. The vast majority (more than 60%) of the Dutch people who want to go on holiday say they want to go as often as last year. However, for the first time in years, the group that wants to go more often is larger than the group that wants to go less often.
The improved consumer confidence and the (slightly) improving economy are therefore not directly translating into more holidays. One of the explanations for the lack of growth is that in recent years consumers have cut back considerably on major purchases, such as the purchase of houses, cars and kitchens. There seems to be a real chance that consumers will now give priority to these spending categories (catch-up demand) and that will be at the expense of the budget for holidays. The holiday market reacts with this, as expected NBTC NIPO, lagged behind changing economic developments (late cyclical). For 2015, stabilization is expected in both the number of holidays taken and holiday spending.
Holiday market has shrunk only slightly since crisis
The economic crisis of recent years has had only a limited impact on the holiday behavior of the Dutch. In the early years of the crisis, the number of holidays stabilized. Holidaymakers cut back by going shorter and less far and by spending less, but continued to go on holiday. Double-digit declines seen in other sectors spared the holiday market. Only in the last two years – after several years of continuous decline in purchasing power – was there a slight contraction in the number of holidays. The total fall in the number of holidays since the start of the crisis at the end of 2008 was two percent; expressed in overnight stays, minus five percent. This relatively limited decrease shows the great importance that the Dutch attach to holidays. Even in economic downturns, we continue to go on holiday.