Hotels in Amsterdam have had a very good start to the year. In the first four months, 12.5 percent more hotel nights were booked in the capital than in the same period last year. The Telegraph reports this based on figures from ABN Amro’s Economics Department.
The increase is much greater than expected. ‘If growth continues at the pace of the first four months throughout the year, there will be 18.8 million hotel nights in Amsterdam for 2019, from 9.5 million hotel guests,’ says sector economist Sonny Duijn of ABN Amro.
However, he expects a lower rate of growth. In comparison, in 2012 there were still 10.5 million hotel stays from 5.7 million hotel guests in Amsterdam.
Duijn is counting on an average growth of 5 percent hotel stays per year in the coming years. Amsterdam is expected to have 37,000 hotel beds this year. In four years, there will probably be 40,000.
Chinese visitors in particular drove growth. Last year, there was still a decline in the number of hotel stays due to Chinese tourists staying away from the city. That decline was more than offset by 33 percent more overnight stays by Chinese. The number of U.S. visitors also continues to grow briskly at a plus 13 percent. ‘Those are tourists who spend above average,’ says Duijn.
British visitors accounted for 18 percent more overnight stays.
