Spending by tourists rose to over €111 billion in 2024

© Hollandse Hoogte / Paulien van de Loo
Total spending by tourists in the Netherlands was €111 billion in 2024, nearly 6 billion euros more than in 2023. That was nearly 6 billion euros more than in 2023. Dutch tourists accounted for less than half of the total increase in spending. They spent 67.3 billion euros in 2024. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of research carried out for the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Tourism expenditure is defined as total spending by tourists before, during and after their trip, including during their stay. This can also include spending by tourists from other countries who do not travel to the Netherlands, for example when people book online using a Dutch company.

Tourists from other countries spent 38.2 billion euros in 2024. Adjusted for price changes, that was up by over 5 percent on 2023, the first full year following the lifting of the restrictions linked to coronavirus. In general, tourists from other countries account for approximately one third of total tourism expenditure in the Dutch economy.


Tourism grew faster than the total economy in 2024

In 2024, the tourism sector added over 1.7 percent more value to the Dutch economy than it did in 2023 (adjusted for price changes). That value added amounted to 40 billion euros, which was almost back to the level seen in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic.

The value added of the tourism sector grew more rapidly than the economy as a whole in 2024. We have seen this picture since the end of the coronavirus pandemic, but we also saw the same trend in the years before the pandemic.


Contribution of tourism to the Dutch economy increases slightly

The share of tourism in the Dutch economy increased to 4.0 percent in 2024. That compares with 3.9 percent in 2023. Value added increased across all tourism-related sectors. The strongest growth in 2024 was recorded by the accommodation and food services sector, aviation, travel agencies and travel services.


Recovery in tourism employment continues

In 2024, employment in the tourism sector was higher than in 2023, but lower than in 2019. The number of labour years worked in the tourism sector rose by 1.3 percent to 458 thousand. This meant that the share of tourism in total employment was 5.5 percent. That share was 4.6 percent in 2021, when the lowest point during the coronavirus pandemic was reached.

Employment increased across all sectors of tourism, with aviation, travel agencies and travel services seeing the sharpest increases. The number of workers and jobs also rose in 2024. Part-time employment is relatively high in the tourism sector; the number of jobs therefore exceeds the number of workers.

Sources