34.6% uses holiday money for last-minute booking: Dutchman waits longer with holiday plans

Dutch holidaymakers are waiting longer and longer to book their holidays. Research by Dormio Resorts & Hotels among n = 5,866 Dutch people shows that 34.6 per cent use the upcoming holiday money for a new, often last-minute booking.

On the other hand, 36.6 per cent have already booked their holidays. The figures show that the market is increasingly clearly splitting between early decision-makers and a large group that waits until the holiday money is paid out. According to Dormio, the holiday money is thus increasingly becoming the time when the final choice is made. “For many people, the holiday money is the moment when they really decide,” says Raymond Hoevenaar, commercial director of Dormio. “We see that a large group consciously waits and only books later.”

Economics and geopolitics

Procrastination is linked to the current economic and geopolitical situation. Consumers are keeping their options open for longer and making decisions only at the last minute. The survey shows that around 45 per cent of respondents experience no influence from the economic situation, but within the group that is influenced, destinations closer to home are chosen more often. 34.4 per cent indicate that holidays will be shorter this year due to high costs. The demand for holidays thus remains intact, but the timing of booking clearly shifts to later. 12.9 per cent of respondents said they will be able to spend less on holidays this year.

According to Hoevenaar, this is a structural change in behaviour. “The need to go on holiday has not changed, but the way people plan has. They are waiting longer, comparing more and deciding later.” In this regard, holiday money increasingly acts as the starting point for booking, rather than just a budget increase for a holiday already planned.

VAT increase

Of the Dutch who say they go on holiday in the Netherlands, accounting for 31 per cent of respondents, 46.5 per cent say the VAT increase has no impact. At the same time, 23.4 per cent say they actually go on shorter holidays in the Netherlands as a result of the higher costs. The effect is also visible for holidays abroad. Of the Dutch who go on holiday by car outside the Netherlands, a group of 23 per cent, 10.4 per cent say they choose a foreign destination specifically for this reason. According to Dormio, the VAT increase therefore does not lead to fewer holidays, but to different behaviour. Consumers continue to travel, but make different choices.