Netherlands to drop ‘Holland’ as nickname

Part of wider tourism strategy

The Netherlands is gearing up to drop the moniker “Holland” as it rebrands itself in 2020.

Holland is a region of the Netherlands, but the two names are often used interchangeably to describe the northern European country.

From January, the Netherlands will officially drop “Holland” from all literature and marketing materials, so the country will only be referred to be its official name.

The rebrand, which cost €200,000, is part of a wider relaunch of the country’s image, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

It comes before the country is due to host the Eurovision Song Contest and participate in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The orange tulip logo has been axed in favour of the letters NL, which look like a stylised tulip, reports Dutch News. It was unveiled last month by Dutch trade minister Sigrid Kaag.

The current tourism site, Holland.com, is still using the slogan “this is Holland” alongside an orange tulip.

Holland is a region of the Netherlands that includes the well-known Dutch cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague.

The new strategy is also understood to be focusing on sustainable tourism by looking at longer-stay visitors to cities beyond capital Amsterdam.

In May, the Dutch tourist board said it would stop actively promoting the Netherlands as a tourist destination because of concerns that its cities and attractions are becoming overcrowded.

The country’s tourist numbers are anticipated to grow from 19 million now to 29 million over the next decade – and the country’s authorities do not necessarily see that as an entirely good thing.

“To control visitor flow and leverage the opportunities that tourism brings with it, we must act now,” the country’s tourist board said in a strategy document laying out its plan for the coming decade.

“Instead of destination promotion, it is now time for destination management.”

Amsterdam in particular struggles with overtourism. It receives around 17 million visitors a year, compared to just 1 million residents.

Groups combating overtourism, such as Untourist Amsterdam, have been set up – one of its initiatives include marrying an Amsterdammer, designed to bring locals and visitors closer together.

The Independent has contacted Holland.com for further comment.