Based on the Vakantie Sentiment Monitor of June 2026, 89% of the Dutch intend to go on holiday in the next 12 months, a figure slightly higher than last year (85%). Of the total, 57% have already booked their next vacation (compared to 53% in June 2025), with families being the group that made the most progress with bookings (70%, up from 63% previously). Among those who have not yet booked but intend to travel, 55% are already actively informing themselves. Of those who have already booked, most leave in July (32%), followed by August (21%) and September (15%); When traveling with the family, July is clearly still the preferred month (44%).
As for the form of booking, the percentage of Dutch people who book directly with the service provider (hotel, accommodation or carrier) increased to 57%, while booking through a travel agency or website decreased to 32%. Europe remains the preferred destination: 57% of the Dutch will spend their next holiday in another European country (similar to the previous year), 28% will stay in their own country and around 15% will consider intercontinental travel. Within Europe, Spain clearly leads the preferences (18%), followed by Germany (15%), France (12%), Italy (11%) and Greece (5%).
Regarding the means of transport, the plane continues to be the most chosen means of holidays in Europe (42%), but the car has been growing (43%, a significant increase compared to the previous year), especially on family holidays, where it rose from 48% to 60%. The hotel remains the most common accommodation option (38%), followed by apartments (14%) and bungalows (13%).
