Dutch villages, small cities look to attract more Chinese visitors

Giethoorn is a village with around five kilometers of canals, wooden arch bridges and picturesque thatched farmhouses dating back to the 18th century. [Photo/IC]

Giethoorn is a village with around five kilometers of canals, wooden arch bridges and picturesque thatched farmhouses dating back to the 18th century. It receives thousands of international tourists per year. Most are from China and nearby Germany.

"We have a large number of daily Chinese visitors, but also many decide to stay for a few days," said Esselbrugge, who is estimating that the average stay of Chinese people in Giethoorn is between two and three days. "We organize different tours from Giethoorn to other Dutch areas, including big cities like Amsterdam, offering the opportunity to our guests to stay overnight."

"On some days, the Chinese tourists dominate the streetscape of Giethoorn," said Therese Ariaans, spokesperson at the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions (NBTC), in an interview with Xinhua. "Giethoorn is a stone's throw from Amsterdam and they love the canals as well as the traditional Dutch atmosphere in the village."

Tailor-made initiatives

Not surprisingly, Giethoorn, which is nicknamed the Venice of the Netherlands, is launching more information in the Chinese language and more services targeting Chinese consumers, all apparently tailor-made initiatives to cater to growing visitors from the oriental country.

Apart from guide books and maps in Chinese, it recently launched a website only in Chinese. Accordingly, a daily transport card for visits around the area is also provided in Chinese. "They have even invested in the wishes of Chinese visitors," said Ariaans.

Such wishes included making smaller bikes to fit smaller Chinese frames, firmer beds, and noodle cookers. "We are even learning Chinese," said Esselbrugge, who started taking lessons three weeks ago.