A disappointing welcome for Amsterdam’s museum openings

The tourism sector in Amsterdam was glowing during the spring season, with the return of several big-name museums and a new monarch luring tourists. However, the fanfare did not transfer to the hotel market, with less than spectacular results in June.

Spring in Amsterdam not only saw life return to greener grass and blooming flowers, but also saw several important resurrections on its museum scene. As part of a larger initiative to reestablish the city as a cultural center for international tourism, 675 million Euros was spent on renovating Amsterdam's museums, galleries and performing arts centers.

The most important renovations and reopening of these were those of the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum. Rijksmuseum is arguably Amsterdam's most famous museum, beloved both locally and to international culture buffs. Fittingly, 375 million Euros of the budget went to its transformation. After a 10-year wait, the museum opened its doors again on April 13th. According to museum staff estimates, there were about 10,000 guests who attended the grand opening. In addition, the event was presided over by Queen Beatrix in her last public appearance as monarch, before abdicating in favor of her son Willem-Alexander at the end of April. Before the renovations, the museum was attracting upwards of one million guests per year, despite the fact that it was only built to accommodate 200,000. Now, officials hope to welcome as many as two million guests per year, boosting international travel to the city, maximizing interest by rotating the collection so that only 10% will be on display at any given time.

At the beginning of May, the Van Gogh Museum reopened as well, after a 7-month closure, and the Stedelijk Museum, one of Europe's most renowned contemporary art galleries, unveiled a new extension. With so much activity on the tourism sector, it was expected that tourism in Amsterdam would receive a big boost for many months thereafter. According to a direct statement to Hospitality-ON by Pascal Gadet, General Manager of Radisson Blu Hotel, this held true for a while. During the April/May period, Stalport points to a 14.7% increase in museum visits, mainly to Rijksmuseum, Hermitage, and as of May, the Van Gogh Museum as well. The city also saw a 3.4% increase in visits to other attractions, such as Artis Zoo, Canal Company, and Coster Diamonds. Other contributing factors were the 400 year Grachten anniversary and, as mentioned, the celebrations around the "change of guards'' of the monarchy. Even now, Stalport remains confident in the city, with Amsterdam still the Number 2 destination in Lonely Planet.

However, according to information collected by MKG Hospitality, the springtime buzz in the area of tourism did not transfer to the hospitality industry. In first six month of the year, Amsterdam's hoteliers saw a 3.7% drop in RevPAR compared to last year across all categories. The poor performance was due to an 1.9% drop in average daily rates despite a 1.4 point increase in occupancy rates. We can expect a positive change in indicators during the summer.