Official site of the Netherlands Board of Tourism

The Netherlands is a popular destination for tourists. In 2002, we welcomed 9.8 million visitors from all over the world. More than quarter of them came from Germany, and large numbers came from the United KIngdom, the United States, Canada, Belgium, France and Italy. Foreign tourists spend 8.1 billion EURO a year in the Netherlands - more than the annual earnings from the export of plants and flowers. Amsterdam is the most popular destination for foreign tourists. The museums, such as the Rijksmuseum and the Vincent van Gogh Museum, the ring of canals with their mansions, the atmosphere of freedom and creativity - many foreigners want to see them with their own eyes. But the Netherlands is also famous for its flowers: the bulb fields of North and South Holland, with their daffodils, hyacinths and tulips, attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

The Ntherlands has a long coastline, with many interesting towns and villages and areas of natural beauty. Lovers of water sports, such as surfing, sailing and swimming, find conditions ideal on its many beaches and further inland on lakes, rivers and canals. The Dutch themselves like to explore the country by boat or bike. The Netherlands is criss-crossed by thousands of kilometers of cycle track, making it possible to tour the country by bike. Cycling is easier here than in most other countries - as long as you're not cycling against the wind.

The Nederlandse Bureu voor Toerisme &Congressen (NBTC):

  www.holland.com which has 17 branches in europe, North America and southeast Asia, is responsible for promoting and  marketing the Netherlands as a tourist destination.

Tourists in the Netherlands can obtain information from one of the many tourist information (VVV) offices around the country:  www.2holland.com/uk