The Dutch Economy Ministry plans to invest 50 million euros in the next three years to boost tourism in the country, with a focus on attracting more tourists from rapidly growing economies like China and India, the ministry said Monday.
Presenting the national tourism policy for the next three years in the seaport of Scheveningen Monday, Dutch State Secretary for Economic Affairs Frank Heemskerk said tourism promotion in recent years have focused on an increase in the number of foreign tourists.
He said the strategy has worked well and the Netherlands saw its visitors growing from 9.2 million in 2003 to 11 million in 2007, according to a press release on the ministry's website.
However, Heemskerk said it is time to change strategy and focus on a better combination of tourist number and tourist spending. Future promotion campaign will put Dutch towns and cities under spotlight.
"I would also like more international conferences and fairs to meet Netherlands," he said, adding that the largest ICT fair in the world (WCIT) is to be held in Amsterdam in 2010.
On Monday, the Dutch Bureau of Tourism and Conventions (NBTC) also presented its strategic marketing plan for 2008-2010.
Jos Vranken, general manager of the NBTC, said the bureau is intensifying its marketing efforts in neighboring countries and in promising growth markets, like China and India.
He said it is important to increase the number of international exhibitions, fairs and conferences held in the Netherlands, since these events also attract wealthy visitors who will help boost the Dutch economy.
Vranken hopes that a major international event is held in the Netherlands at least once every two years.
(Xinhua News Agency June 10, 2008)
