2018 so far: a lot of growth in the first months of 2018

General developments in Amsterdam

In the first four months of 2018 the number of hotel stays in Amsterdam has increased by 6.6% compared to the first four months of 2017. The number of overnight stays booked by domestic visitors increased substantially by 16.3% in the first four months of 2018. Also the international overnight stays increased during the same period by 4.8%.

The number of business overnight stays as well as the number of overnight stays by tourists rose during the first four months of 2018, by 10.5% en 4.7% respectively.

The core markets of Amsterdam, except from the United Kingdom, are all showing growth in the first four months of 2018 (United Kingdom, -0.9%). The number of overnight stays by visitors from France is showing the fastest growth by 17,7% compared to the first four months of 2017. Also the number of overnight stays of visitors from the United States, Italy, Germany and Belgium increased by 7.0%, 6.5%, 6.1% en 0.8% respectively.

In terms of overnight stays of the probability markets, a solid increase has taken place in the number of Russian overnight stays in the first four months of 2018 compared to the first four months of 2017 (+23.9%). Besides Russia, the number of overnight stays of Brazilian visitors increased by 11.4%. The rest of the probability markets have not shown any growth. The number of South Korean overnight stays and the overnight says of Indonesians decreased drastically by 18.8% and 15.0% respectively. 

Arrivals at Schiphol Airport and visits to Amsterdam museums and attractions

Besides the overnight stays of visitors, there are also other components of the tourism sector that show growth. The number of foreign passengers arriving at Schiphol has increased by 5.8% during the first seven months of 2018 compared to the first seven months of 2017. The number of visitors of attractions increased by 2.3% during the same period. The number of museum visits slightly decreased by 0.2%.

Developments in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

The Metropolitan Area (excluding Amsterdam) shows a substantial growth. The number of overnight stays in hotels increased during the first four months of 2018 by 13.4% compared to the first four months of 2017. The number of domestic overnight stays increased by 8.2% during the same period. The overnight stays by international visitors increased more drastic, namely by 17.7%.