Tourists spent just under €118 billion last year, rise of three percent

Tourists spent almost €118 billion in the Netherlands last year, around €6 billion more than in 2024, Statistics Netherlands reported. Adjusted for inflation, the tourist expenditure rose by around 3 percent.

Spending done before, during, and after the trip for domestic and foreign tourists falls under tourist expenditure. Sometimes, money spent by tourists who are not coming to the Netherlands counts, for example, if they book a flight with a Dutch company or a hotel.

Foreign tourists accounted for more than half of the spend. They bought almost €42 billion worth, around €3 billion more than in 2024. That is an increase of over seven percent, adjusted for inflation.

Domestic tourists spent almost €70 billion, more than half of the total tourist expenditure. Their spend grew by almost 1 percent, adjusted for inflation.

Employment in the tourism sector also grew slightly, but remains below the level of the coronavirus pandemic. The sector was good for 5.4 percent of the total employment in 2025. At the lowest point of the pandemic in 2021, this was at 4.6 percent.

Only the catering industry, the largest company sector within tourism, saw a slight drop in employment.