Where did we go for a holiday in 1947?
Nearly half of the Dutch population went on holiday in 1947. Most holidaymakers stayed with relatives. It meant they spread widely across the country. Thirteen years later it was still most popular to visit relatives, although a growing number of people also went camping.
Over half said they had been out and about, people from big cities more often than others. Many, therefore, also stayed at home. Roughly 1 in 10 people had not been given time off. One third of the population stayed at home involuntarily, for various reasons: too busy at work, no money, no holiday entitlement or no need for a holiday.
There was little in terms of staggered holidays. More than half of the holidaymakers went in the weeks between 27 July and 24 August 1947. The peak was between 3 August and 17 August, when 32 percent of holidaymakers were on the road.
Family visits
Family visits were by far the main holiday motive, the possibility of cheap accommodation being one of the main reasons. Almost 6 in 10 holidaymakers went to visit family, the least well-off among them more often than those with a bit more to spend.
| Family or acquaintances | Hotel or guesthouse | Tent/holiday farm | Rented house/summer cottage | Home exchange | Youth hostel | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poor working class | 66.9 | 4.2 | 16.2 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 9.3 |
| Other working class | 64.8 | 8.7 | 13.1 | 4.1 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 5.8 |
| Small middle class | 55.8 | 17.7 | 12.2 | 6.6 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 4.7 |
| Wealthy class | 41.9 | 31.9 | 9.9 | 8.5 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 5.3 |
Widely scattered
Choosing to visit relatives meant that families scattered widely across the country. The proportion of other areas (34 percent) was twice that of North Sea resorts (16 percent) and the Veluwe (18 percent).
| Bestemming | Share |
|---|---|
| Other regions in the Netherlands | 34.1 |
| Veluwe | 18.2 |
| Seaside towns | 15.8 |
| Oostelijke IJsselstreek | 9.0 |
| Noord-Brabant and North Limburg | 8.5 |
| South Limburg | 7.5 |
| Abroad | 4.5 |
| Water sports areas | 2.4 |
Holiday facilities survey
In 1947, the National Planning Authority (RNP) commissioned the Dutch Statistical Foundation (NSS), the commercial equivalent of CBS which was established in August 1940, to conduct a survey on the spatial aspects of holiday behaviour. The authority hoped to use the survey data to get an idea of the level of facilities needed. To conduct that survey, 22.4 thousand people from 6.1 thousand families were surveyed about their holiday activities.
The questions
- How does CBS collect data?
- How much do we cycle per week on average?
- Who are most likely to work part-time?
- How many people visited Bonaire by cruise ship?
- Are people happy with the house they live in?
- How many young women encounter street harassment?
- What do the over-65s do online?
- How many wind turbines in the Netherlands?
- How far is school by bike?
- How many museums are there?
- How much electricity in the Caribbean Netherlands is renewable?
- How many adults are overweight?
- How many cargo ships dock at Dutch seaports?
- What did we listen to on the radio in 1953?
- What is the average lifespan in the Netherlands?
- Where did we go for a holiday in 1947?
- How much fish is landed?
- Where were people in the Netherlands born?
- What do we spend money on?
- How old are Dutch first-time mothers on average?
- How much cheese do we produce?
- How are goods transported through the Netherlands?
- How many people fall victim to cybercrime?
- What is the most spoken language or dialect at home?
- How many shops are there?
- What is the value of Dutch beer exports?
- How often do we have a goosebump moment?
- How many cows graze in fields?
- What are the most popular majors?
- How tall are Dutch people?
- How is the urban bird population doing?
- Where do most people work?
- What colour is our car?
- How does CBS handle your privacy?