Almost immediately after this week’s press conference, travel agents began receiving bookings for the Dutch-Caribbean island territory of Curaçao.
During the press conference, Prime Minister Rutte and Minister for Health Hugo De Jonge advised that people should only travel abroad this Christmas if absolutely necessary.
The negative travel advice stretches from now to mid-January, meaning that many Dutch Christmas holidays will have to be cancelled. However, there was one exception to this restriction, the island of Curaçao.
As part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and as a region that is only classified as code yellow, Dutch citizens may travel there. The result of this decision? A huge increase in the number of holiday bookings to Curaçao this Christmas.
Immediate bookings
The Caribbean islands are usually a popular tourist destination, especially amongst the Dutch, however, the sudden interest in Curaçao cannot be explained away as the usual Christmas haul.
A spokesperson for travel agency Corendon has told ANP news that the travel agency saw an instant response from the public following Tuesday’s press conference.”We saw the bookings coming in to Curaçao immediately after the press conference.”
A spokesperson for TUI spoke of a similar phenomenon and their agency, claiming that there is now “more interest” in the region than usual.
Only Curaçao
As for the rest of the Dutch Caribbean, many regions are rated as code orange, meaning that travel is only advised if absolutely necessary.
This status remains in place for Aruba, Bonaire and the special municipalities of Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten.
What do you think of this interesting phenomenon? Let us know in the comments below!
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