Description
Joint promotions, innovation and the improvement of quality are becoming increasingly important factors in the marketing and promotion of the Netherlands. Why is this? First of all, with regard to the attractiveness of the Netherlands as a holiday destination, its advantages are at the same time also its disadvantages. These advantages include good accessibility, a wide variety of attractions within a relatively small area and the small scale of the tourist industry in the Netherlands (260,000 employees in 45,000 businesses). However, the small scale of this industry also means that it often lacks power; there are insufficient financial and human resources available for marketing and promotional activities. Secondly, changes are also taking place with regard to demand. The consumer is making impulsive, ad hoc choices; he has become a `spur-of-the-moment` tourist who takes shorter and more frequent holidays, is well traveled, is more fastidious and demands quality. The `run of the mill` tourist no longer exists and we can therefore no longer treat all consumers in the same way. New categories and new opportunities have developed, demanding a new form of segmentation, and it is difficult for small-scale businesses to respond individually to the wishes of today`s more demanding tourist. Finally, the role of the Dutch government is changing. The government is making a retreat and is putting the initiative in the hands of the tourist sector itself.