The Dutch accommodation and food services sector reported a 6.6% increase in turnover in the fourth quarter of last year, compared to the same period in 2023, new data from Statistics Netherlands has shown.
Turnover in the accommodation services sector, which includes hotels, holiday rentals, and camping sites, rose by 3.7%, with hotels rising by 3.6% and other accommodation services seeing 3.8% growth.
Turnover in food services
Within food services, including food and beverage outlets, turnover increased by 7.8% in the fourth quarter.
Restaurants led the way, reporting growth of 9%, while catering services experienced a 7.8% increase. Elsewhere, fast food restaurants and cafés recorded increases of 6.4% and 6.5%, respectively.
Business confidence
Despite the growth in turnover, business confidence in the Dutch accommodation and food services sector continues to decline, Statistics Netherlands noted.
Business confidence in the sector fell from -11.3 at the start of Q4 2024 to -17.9 in Q1 2025.
‘Businesses in this sector were more negative about both economic conditions over the past three months and the economic outlook for the next three months,’ Statistics Netherlands said.
The accommodation and food services sector was among the industries with the most negative sentiment, alongside the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sectors, it added. Overall, business confidence was negative in nearly all industries except for business services.
Over the course of the whole year, the turnover of the accommodation and food services sector grew by 5.4% compared to 2023. This was down from a 12.6% year-on-year gain recorded in 2023. Read more here.
