Now, after the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign tourists have begun to pour back into the Netherlands, but the operation of traditional tourist attractions in the Netherlands has changed a lot.
The owner's traditional suit has been replaced by a Nepalese vest; in Volendam people have a sudden order for a meal; and in the weekday village of Giethoorn has restored a peaceful calm, "perhaps only when the Chinese returns will this state be broken".
The flair of the small island Marken
For 25 years, Rob Reiz has owned Sijtje Boes, a souvenir shop in Havenbuurt, a small island in the north Netherlands, where he works at the store named after its founder. For years, it has remained the same for most of the time, but the two-year pandemic has also turned the world upside down here. "I used to stand behind the cash register in an elaborate traditional suit, and I changed suits once a year because I was always here myself. I'll want to remember what customers like and what they ignore. ”
The type of ordinary consumer has changed dramatically during the pandemic, with Asians giving way to southern Europeans. That's why Leeds put his suit between mothballs, and now, he often stands behind the cash register wearing a brightly colored wool vest, "which is handmade in Nepal and loved by Western tourists." ”
The store, known as the "King of Souvenirs," currently relies on this group of consumers, and Chinese now hardly travel anymore. "Asians are particularly interested in traditional souvenirs like windmills and delft blues, but you can't use these to appeal to Europeans." At the same time, Leidse even hosted his fellow Dutchmen, "who came for those painted porcelain balls," he said, pointing to a gadget hanging from a Christmas tree.
It's already spring, but Geertje Klaver, who lives nearby and also works at a Marken souvenir shop, rarely sees tourists, she said: "May is usually a wonderful month, but it's disappointing now. ”
Local entrepreneurs say that there are indeed foreign tourists coming here, and since the Amsterdam tourism operators have not yet woken up, they will never purposefully send tourists to specific shops, but only attract large numbers of tourists at low prices, throwing unsuspecting tourists in front of self-service souvenirs and catering shops, "After an hour, the tourists disappear again." Entrepreneurs complained.
Volendan's changes
Henk Bond, the captain of the Volendam-Marken Express, was right about individual tourists, seeing that his ship was more full: "Not Asians, though, but more Frenchmen and Dutchmen coming on weekends." ”
Bond's destination, Volendam, has also changed a lot. In the past, the restaurant De Koe aan de Haven had almost a large number of American customers, and of course hordes of Chinese. Pieter Jonk, a 40-year-old owner, said: "At the very least, that's what everyone in the village calls asians." ”
In the past, every day there were buses full of tourists parked in front of the restaurant. "The machines have been working well, everyone came here for the same three-course dinner, and within half an hour they were outside again, and then the next group of people came in," Jonke said. But now that these customer segments are moving away, turnover has shrunk to a third of what it used to be, requiring only 10 employees, compared to 30 before. ”
To appeal to new target groups, the familiar single menu has been replaced by an order card. "That's why suddenly the Swedes, the Greeks, the French and the Portuguese came in. When the Asians return, we still need to keep the a la carte menu, despite the opinions of the kitchen team. ”
Schmidt Jan Smit of Warrendan, known for its international television coverage, lost all the laughter at the beginning of the War in Ukraine. "There are more Russians coming here because of the reputation, but now we have lost this target group," said the manager who runs the company with his son.
Still, there are no longer any Russian or Asian tables that are effortlessly being crowded with other international guests. "Thanks to the international culinary programme that once had here, the number of people visiting here continues to increase."
Giethoorn is no longer bustling
In the eastern part of Giethoorn, filling in the "Chinese gap" is much more complicated. Jeffrey, an employee of charter company Boothuren Giethoorn, said: "Turnover has picked up again after two years of tough COVID-19 but has not yet returned to previous levels. ”
He noted that his boss was less enthusiastic about publicity, which was undoubtedly related to the conflict between business operators and local residents, who had become sensitive to the nuisance of Chinese tourists before the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Jeffrey, it's actually not that bad: "Chinese videos of boat collisions are just the result of a flood of social media, which is why everyone thinks only Asians are here, but that's just nonsense." ”
The lack of Asians has calmed back on weekdays, said Ronald de Boer, director of the Giethoorn Promotion, saying: "The peak is now on weekends, which is a big step forward for many residents, although some still don't feel it and are still stuck in the real hustle and bustle of three years ago." ”