Welcome! What ever your reason for clicking on this site, be this for business or pleasure or both? travel.netherlands.com will provide you with the best options available prior to your visit to Holland. The information provided here will be helpful to the International Businessman, Backpacker and family group interested in prearranging their visit according to their budget & plans. The links provided are dedicated to this aim and will guarantee your visitation to The Netherlands will be affordable, interesting and safe.
The NETHERLANDS..
The distance from north to south is only 300 kilometres, and from west to east 200 kilometres. The Netherlands is small enough to see in all its glory within a few days of visiting this beautiful country. located in the Central European Timezone. This implies that the time difference with EST is +6 hours and with PST +9 hours.
Holland is close to being one of the most densely populated countries in the world. It's population of sixteen million+ has on average, 481 citizens per square kilometer. Much of Holland's land has been reclaimed from the sea.
'Dutch' is the national language in The Netherlands. However, 'English' is spoken by almost everyone young and old. Many Dutch people also speak German, Spanish and French. This Difficult language is the mother tongue of well over 21 million Dutch/Flemish* people (Dutch- speaking nationals of *Belgium). 60.000 people in Northwest France also speak a Dutch dialect. The people from the province of Friesland (North of Holland) speak 'Fries', in addition to Dutch. The rest of Holland do not understand this language. The 'Friesians', use their own language as part of their national identity and is part of their historic culture. The Dutch have a Royal family and their present monarch is HRH. Queen Beatrix.
The capitol of The Netherlands is 'Amsterdam'. However, The Dutch Government resides in The Hague, and The 'Royal Family' also live in this city. Holland is a European economical power house and one of the wealthiest countries in the union. Agriculture, Merchant shipping (Rotterdam), Space technology, Petroleum products (SHELL) and Tourism all contribute to the 'high standard' of living enjoyed by the Dutch Nation.
If you are flying to The Netherlands, you will be landing at Schipol Airport, just 20-30 minutes from Amsterdam via taxi/car rental. Schiphol Airport is a central airport in Europe & very busy.. Schiphol train station is located directly under the airport, near the arrival and departure lounge. So its easy to find your own form of transit. Rent a car/camper/motorbike upstairs or catch the train downstairs..
Schiphol (Train) Station to Amsterdam takes only 16+ minutes. Or Rotterdam in only 45 minutes.
Currency in NL: The official currency is the 'euro'.
Backpacker info: Dutch people tend to be very friendly and will almost always stop to answer a question or direction you might have.. They tend to be informative and polite & what ever language you use they will try to understand.. As in all countries, Holland has its share of pickpockets and street hustlers so keep your valuables/passport safe.
Emergency Tel# to contact all sevices 112
Hotel/Guest house/Campsite/Houseboat/Youth Hostel.
Finding the most suitable accommodation for your needs is one click away. Holland relies upon 'Tourism' as one of its main economical incomes which is good-news for the prospective visitor due to the diverse selection of available places to stay. Choose to stay along one of our many yellow sandy beaches at a campsite or Hotel. Perhaps alongside a quiet canal in a small guest house or houseboat. Or choose a Hotel/Hostel in the city-center of one of the many towns/cities available to you.
Business matters..in Holland
The Netherlands is in sixth place in the world for export and investment. Its trading partners include Belgium, Germany and France, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom. Transport equipment, machinery and chemicals/food account for the largest share of exports. Around 300 million tonnes of cargo pass through the port of Rotterdam, while (Schiphol) Amsterdam Airport, handles 1.3 million tonnes of cargo per year.
More than 9.1 million people visit The Netherlands from abroad for vacation or business reasons every year. Foreign tourists spend 7.4+ billion euros a year during their stay. So if it's a business opportunity to Import or to set up a business to export in Europe? Then, Holland has all the key requirements to get your business off the ground and booming. If your business means you will be expecting an extended stay in Holland & you will be bringing your family? Then your children can choose from American, British, German, French, Muslim and Japanese schools available within The Netherlands. Holland features one of the most highly educated, flexible and motivated workforces in Europe. Dutch professionals are also the most multilingual in the world, enabling them to successfully operate in companies across any industry serving customers throughout the continent. So Holland might be the place to expand your business into Europe?
Want to study in Holland?
Universities in Holland provide many of their courses in 'English', due to close affiliations with International institutions. Nice fact: No other country on the European continent offers as many college courses conducted in English as The Netherlands does.
Potential E-Business in Holland?
80% of all Dutch households have a PC, and 64% have access to the Internet..! and its growing everyday.. E-business in Holland is a good business to be in..! The sunny Caribbean islands 'Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles' are still Dutch colonies..! So the market place is larger than you would think.
Sport/Adventure/Fun things to do and see in The Netherlands
The Netherlands is proud to have a high standard of living. The costs of living, housing, education and cultural activities are lower than in most European countries so sport is a popular past-time for the Dutch. Holland has 35,000 sports clubs with a total membership of 4.3 million people! Sports facilities are available everywhere you look, with soccer being the most popular followed by tennis, golf and squash rising in popularity. For those who like to fish for the big one, then you have almost one-fifth of Hollands countryside covered by lakes, canals and rivers! Great places for swimming, sailing, water skiing and perhaps hiring a boat for a lazy day in the middle of nature floating down a canal or lake. For the land lover? Holland has multitudes of bike paths which makes bicycling a popular pastime as well. The Dutch are a healthy nation. The Average life expectancy of the population? Men 76 years, Women 81 years..
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