The municipality of Utrecht and the Utrecht hoteliers, united in the HOST Foundation, have taken a special new step in their collaboration. They signed unique agreements that will promote quality tourism, such as business visits to Utrecht, in the coming years.
The agreements are unique and a strong example of collaboration between the government and a private sector like the hotel industry. The agreement stipulates that the municipality will reserve an annual amount to promote sustainable tourism. Efforts will focus on:
- Attracting visitors who contribute to Utrechts ambitions in the area of Healthy Urban Living, such as business events related to health.
- Attracting visitors who want to travel to and within Utrecht in a sustainable way.
- Greening and making the city more attractive for visitors and residents.
- Promoting local, sustainable entrepreneurs.
The revenues from the tourist tax benefit both the city of Utrecht and the hotel sector. The emphasis is on sustainable initiatives of economic and social value. The HOST Foundation acts as an advisor to the municipality. Additionally, HOST is the central point of contact for organizations that want to finance events that fall within the agreements.
Councilor Susanne Schilderman (Economic Affairs): “Utrecht has traditionally been a city of meetings. Together with the hotel sector, we focus on the type of visits that truly add value to our city: multi-day, sustainable, and business-oriented. These agreements clearly show that the municipality and entrepreneurs share ambitions and can work together to build a stronger Utrecht economy.”
Henk Hölscher (chairman of HOST): “With these agreements, we are building a sustainable visitor economy in which the municipality and hotel sector take responsibility together. This not only strengthens the economy but also contributes to a healthy and sustainable city.”
Economic and social value
Tourism is an important pillar of the Utrecht economy. About five percent of employment in the city falls within the tourism and recreation sector. Utrecht is, after Amsterdam, the most important destination for multi-day business visits. Multi-day visitors spend approximately 470 million euros annually in Utrecht. Business visitors particularly appreciate the wide range of conference facilities, the atmosphere, opportunities for relaxation, and the high quality of hotels. By investing together in quality tourism, Utrecht remains a place where knowledge sharing, meetings, and sustainable growth are central.
Help and contact Municipality of Utrecht
Visiting address
Stadsplateau 1
3521 AZ Utrecht
Mailing address
Postbus 16200
3500 CE Utrecht
