Why Content Is At The Heart of NBTC Holland Marketing’s Sustainability Strategy

Jasper Broekhuis, Social Media Marketing Manager, Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions

With 60 million visitors slated to visit The Netherlands by 2030, many cities and regions (not just Amsterdam) have been struggling with overtourism. NBTC Holland Marketing started Perspective 2030 and HollandCity to disperse the benefits of tourism, put more cities and regions on the map, and improve accessibility and sustainability everywhere.

The HollandCity initiative specifically focused on:

• Emphasizing short travel distances between cities and regions (you can drive across the country in four hours, for example)
• Use ‘passion points’ like Van Gogh to show visitors other key experiences across the country
• Transform their website to showcase UGC and more immersive forms of storytelling for these different regions
• Involve more people in the content, from entrepreneurs to regular residents

Key learnings:

• See COVID-19 as an opportunity to educate people on how they can travel more responsibly
• Involve people/your target audience in your mission by selling influencers and content creators on your vision for sustainable tourism
• Make tourism accessible to citizens and include them in your mission by starting a movement and by activating them with content, contests, and local tourism opportunities