Camping continues to record growing figures in the Netherlands. According to an analysis of data from the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) carried out by ACSI, the European camping specialist, campsites in the country recorded almost 6.6 million overnight stays in the first five months of 2026, an increase of 22.5% compared with the same period the previous year. The result confirms the growing popularity of outdoor holidays and also marks a historic milestone: for the first time, the number of Dutch guests exceeded one million.
Between January and May, campsites across the Netherlands welcomed almost 1.7 million visitors, an increase of 18.3% year on year. Of these, 1.05 million were domestic holidaymakers, up 20.1% compared with 2025. International tourism also continues to strengthen: for the first time, the number of foreign guests exceeded 600,000, confirming the growing appeal of Dutch campsites beyond the country’s borders.
An increasingly longer season, with May setting new records
The data also confirm that outdoor holidays are no longer a choice linked exclusively to summer: campers are increasingly inclined to travel outside the peak season.
Of the total number of overnight stays recorded during the first five months of the year, almost 4 million nights were concentrated in May alone. Compared with the same period in 2025, this represents an increase of 22.5%, with even stronger growth among Dutch holidaymakers, who spent 26.9% more nights on campsites in the Netherlands than in the previous year.
The positive trend had already emerged at the beginning of the year. January also recorded better results than the same month in 2025: despite being the coldest month of the year, around 50,000 campers chose to spend their holidays outdoors, generating 215,000 overnight stays.
According to ACSI CEO, Ramon van Reine, spring is therefore becoming increasingly important: “Both in the Netherlands and abroad, more and more people are camping, and they are camping more frequently. As soon as the first rays of sunshine appear, campers set off, especially in combination with holidays such as Easter, Ascension Day and Pentecost. In May, it was already particularly warm in the Netherlands, but the figures also show that winter camping is very popular. For campsite owners, it is certainly good news that they are no longer dependent solely on July and August, but that their season is becoming considerably longer”.
From 6 August, in Italy the “Green Pass” for catering and indoor activities is mandatory even in campsites