Evaluation of the Dutch Board of Tourism and Conventions 2020 - 2023

The hospitality sector is an important sector of the Dutch economy. In 2023, the sector accounted for € 105 billion in spending, representing 3.8% of the gross national income, and contributed 768,000 jobs, accounting for 6.7% of total employment. Despite the positive effects on the Dutch economy, this growth also has a downside. Various examples have shown that excessive tourism can lead to damage to the environment and inconvenience for residents, ultimately making a destination less attractive in the long term. The hospitality sector has acknowledged this issue and has since 2016-2019 placed more emphasis on sustainable development of the sector, focusing not only on economic aspects but also on societal and ecological aspects. In the Netherlands, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (EZ) at the national level is responsible for tourism policy. To implement this, the ministry annually provides subsidies to the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions (NBTC). The NBTC is a destination marketing organization (DMO) and plays a crucial role in knowledge development and destination management, including by encouraging and directing visitor flows. Commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Dialogic (with contribution from SEO) evaluated the NBTC for the period 2020-2023. The evaluation concluded that the activities of the NBTC are largely effective. Moreover, data showed that compared to foreign DMOs, the NBTC functions (very) efficiently. However, there are also some recommendations. These recommendations include redefining key performance indicators (KPIs) and targets that align with policy goals, clarifying the roles of the NBTC and EZ, and elucidating the financing model. Furthermore, the recommendations suggest that the NBTC should continue its current knowledge and data function and focus on a positioning that highlights the strengths of the Netherlands and attracts valuable (business) visitors. The research was published on December 21, 2023 (link). Read the relevant Parliamentary letter here.