Summer just isn't really getting started this year. Due to all the rules and color codes, the summer holiday has become a complicated matter and many Dutch people opt for a holiday that they can control themselves. Traveling with your own car within your own country or the countries surrounding us is particularly striking. Countries such as Italy and Greece, on the other hand, are doing well given the circumstances. France is a bit more difficult in terms of regulation. Spain, which initially scored high, has experienced a considerable setback, partly due to various tour operators who canceled the trips. Since last Monday, almost all of Europe has been on yellow.
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Many holiday parks and campsites in their own country are doing good business. Despite the bad weather, it is still difficult to get a seat. Sellers of caravans and motorhomes are having a top year and that will be reflected in the holiday behavior of the Dutch in the coming years. After all, you don't buy a motorhome or caravan for just one holiday. No, you'll be out and about for years to come. According to the ANVR, about 75% of the Dutch remain in their own country. For tour operators this is little consolation that a small group still wants to travel abroad. But these trips are also often done with own transport. The feeling of being in control of everything and being able to leave quickly and independently in case of problems abroad is reinforcing this way of traveling this year.
autumn might be better
Frank Oostdam of branch organization ANVR indicates that this year is disappointing in terms of travel. After the dramatic year of 2020, it couldn't get any worse, but this year is also a major setback. Due to the color yellow for the whole of Europe, there is still hope that August will get a little better. Oostdam also sees that people have a little more confidence for a holiday in the autumn for the period after the summer, but he really does not want to speak of a peak in bookings. October and November show optimism, but it is no longer possible to make up for the year.
approach
The travel sector is pleased with the government's decision to change the approach to travel advice for destinations within the EU. The ANVR has been pushing for this step for some time now. Not only to provide more clarity to holidaymakers and travelers, but especially because this means that travel advice is more in line with the current status of the pandemic.
"It is a great pity that this decision was not taken immediately with the introduction of the digital corona certificate (DCC) on 1 July. This would have ensured that it would have been a beautiful summer holiday for both travel companies and holidaymakers. the travel sector is delighted that the cabinet has decided to change travel advice after all"
That is also right, by the way. Hospital admissions and vaccination rates are a much better indicator of travel and holiday safety than the number of infections. The ANVR is pleased that the whole of Europe will turn yellow from July 27. For Europe, Orange travel advice will only be used in the presence of special virus mutations. Of course, the ANVR continues to emphatically point out to customers that the corona rules must also be carefully observed at the destination.
An important aspect of the new approach is that it must always be possible to submit a DCC for return to the Netherlands with effect from Sunday 8 August, also when returning from non-EU countries. For those who have not been fully vaccinated, a return PCR test should not be older than 48 hours, an antigen test should not be older than 24 hours. The ANVR meanwhile, continues to strongly urge the government to also apply this new policy to destinations outside the EU. The current whitelist of allowed countries is very limited and it takes a long time for the list to be completed with new destinations.