Dutch Report on Societal Value of Tourism and Recreation
An 88-page report the focus of which is the Netherlands. As well as conveying the hard economic numbers that demonstrate the role of the hospitality sector the study looks in detail at the wider role that the sector plays in society. This is done courtesy of a literature review, case studies and a survey of tourism and recreation entrepreneurs.
A list of 25 ways in which tourism and recreation contribute is presented, ranging from ‘employment’, ‘route networks for cycling, walking, boating etc’ to ‘social cohesion’, with each factor being assigned to one of three categories – ‘Economic value’, ‘Value to the living environment’ or ‘Value for social processes’.
Each of these three headline areas, and the factors that sit within it are then explored.
The report concludes that tourism and recreation should be regarded as an economic sector of considerable size which contributes indirectly to many other sectors and enhances quality of life. It is argued that the sector needs assistance in order to preserve its societal value as a result of its enforced closure for much of the past two years.