If you were planning a trip to Holland, the bad news is you can’t go anymore.
But the good news is that you can still go to the same country – known as the Netherlands – it’s just not called ‘Holland’ anymore.
Confused?
Well the Dutch government gathered you would be, which is why they’ve scrapped the nickname Holland entirely.
They did so on the 1 January, as part of a new branding campaign.
Not only does it help make things more simple – but it’s actually more accurate, factually, that is.
This is because the Netherlands is made up of 12 provinces, but only two of these areas make up Holland.
North Holland is where Amsterdam is located and South Holland is home to Rotterdam, Leiden and The Hague and more.
So, unless you’re travelling to those two provinces, calling the country ‘Holland’ is wrong.
A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry previously commented on this rebrand.
He told news agency EFE: ‘It is a little strange to promote only a small part of the Netherlands abroad, that is, only Holland.’
Which makes perfect sense to be honest and makes us wonder why this has only really come about now.
It seems the move is an attempt to help manage Dutch tourism.
Last year, the Dutch tourist board said it would stop actively promoting the Netherlands as a tourist destination – this is because many of its cities and attractions are becoming overcrowded.
And the figures are pretty wild. According to Dutch News, the Netherlands expects 29 million tourists to visit by 2030.
Amsterdam has already banned tour guides from the Red Light District, in a bit to curb this tourism.
In a formal statement, city councilor Udo Kock said: ‘It is no longer acceptable in this age to see sex workers as a tourist attraction.’
Instead the Netherland tourist board hopes to create more sustainable and respectful travel.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/09/youre-not-allowed-to-refer-to-the-netherlands-as-holland-anymore-12029303/
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