In recent years, the turnover of Dutch hotels, restaurants and cafés has risen more sharply than the average in the European Union. After the credit crisis broke out in 2008, turnover in the catering industry fell more in the Netherlands than in the rest of the EU. The catering turnover is now at record high, both in the Netherlands and on average in the EU CBS en Eurostat.
In the first three months of 2016, turnover in the catering industry in the Netherlands was 24% above the low point of the crisis at the end of 2009. In the EU, on the other hand, turnover increased by an average of 20%. The turnover of the Dutch catering industry has been above the pre-crisis level since the end of 2013 and has only increased since then.
Due to the relatively strong growth, the importance of the catering industry for the Dutch economy has increased in recent years.
Recovery from crisis
From 2008 – the year in which the smoking ban also came into effect – Dutch catering companies had to contend with a drop in turnover until the end of 2009. In that period, turnover fell by 8,5%. At the time, there was not a decrease everywhere in the EU, in Poland, Belgium and France there was little sign of a decrease in turnover, in some cases there was even an increase in turnover.
After 2009, the catering industry recovered almost everywhere to a higher level than before the crisis: only in Portugal, Greece and Spain turnovers are still lower and they have not yet recovered from the crisis. The largest increases in turnover were to be found in Belgium (+35%) and France (+37%). Poland continues to be the leader, here turnover has increased by almost 2008% since 75, it should be noted that the catering sector there is relatively small.
main income
In the Netherlands, the number of workers in the hospitality industry increased from 2008 to 2014 between 344.000 and 374.000. This means that approximately 2014% of all employed persons in that sector worked in 4,3, making it a main income. This is slightly lower than the EU average (4,8%).