Impact of the COVID-19 on the Dutch cruise market
Travel restrictions to stop the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) drastically reduced tourist movements all over the world. In the Dutch cruise market, these measures were reflected in the very low number of Dutch cruise passengers, at under 20,000 in 2020. Like a chain reaction, the revenue change in cruise bookings in the Netherlands dropped by approximately 75 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year.Looking at the activity in Dutch ports, those welcoming cruise ships also experienced a decrease in the number of cruise stops during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Port of Amsterdam – one of the largest ports in Europe and the second-largest in the Netherlands after Rotterdam – reported barely 130 sea and river cruise arrivals combined in 2020, a decline of over 90 percent compared to 2019.