Attraction Amsterdam persistently large

2017 shows solid growth in the entire Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

General developments in Amsterdam

The number of hotel stays in Amsterdam rose by 11.6% in 2017 compared to 2016. The number of international overnight stays booked by international visitors rose by 11.5%. The number of overnight stays booked by domestic visitors increased by 12.2% even more solidly.

The increase in domestic number of visitors is striking because it deviates from the picture of the last few years. In recent years, the number of international hotel stays increased faster than the number of national hotel stays. Where the number of hotel stays of Dutch people in 2015 and 2016 was still decreasing, it has increased significantly in 2017.

Stimulated by the general economic growth, the number of business overnight stays increased sharply in 2017 by 13.2% compared to 2016. There is a huge acceleration in the growth of the number of business overnight stays. By way of illustration, a year earlier this number increased by only 0.9%. Where in previous years the number of tourist overnight stays always rose faster than the number of business, this is the reverse in 2017. This while the number of tourist overnight stays also continues to grow strongly (in 2016 by 12.4% and in 2017 by 11.5%).

Looking at the countries of origin of visitors from the designated core markets, we see an increase in the number of visitors from the United States (+ 24.4%), Germany (+ 12.4%) the United Kingdom (+ 8.6% ) and Italy (+ 6.7%).
Only visitors from France and Belgium showed a slight decrease in the number of hotel stays, by 0.8% and 2.5% respectively. The decline in the number of Belgian hotel stays in 2017 must be put in perspective: 2016 was the best year for Belgian hotel stays since the start of the measurements.

The number of hotel stays of visitors from the defined probability markets also increases significantly by 16% compared to 2016. The downward trend in the number of Russian overnight stays is after three years. The number of hotel stays of these visitors increased by 37.7% in 2017 compared to 2016. Nevertheless, the number of overnight stays of Russian visitors is not at the same level as in 2013, before the decline started. The number of Russian hotel stays is now only 78% of the number of overnight stays in 2013.

In addition to the increase in the number of Russian hotel stays, other opportunities markets also show growth. The number of hotel stays of Chinese and Brazilian visitors increased by 27.6% and 22.4% respectively. The number of hotel stays of Indian and Australian visitors grew slightly less hard, by 18.8% and 8.0% respectively.

Arrivals at Schiphol Airport and visits to Amsterdam museums and attractions

There is also a lot of growth in other parts of the tourism sector. The  number of foreign passengers at Schiphol for example increased by 9.1% throughout 2017 compared to 2016. The number of visitors to attractions also increased significantly. In 2017 the number of visits increased by 20.5% compared to 2016. This increase is particularly strong in the high season between April and August. Although the number of visits to museums in Amsterdam rose less rapidly in 2017 than the number of visits to attractions, museum visits increased by 3.1%.

Developments in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

Strong growth is also visible in the Amsterdam Metropolitan area Compared with 2016, the number of hotel stays in the region (excluding Amsterdam) increased by 8.9% in 2017.
The number of hotel stays of national visitors increased slightly by 1.6%. The number of hotel stays of international visitors increased faster, by as much as 15.8%. The visiting trends in the region largely correspond to those in Amsterdam for international overnight stays. The number of hotel stays of national visitors is increasing less rapidly in the region (excluding Amsterdam) than in Amsterdam.