South Holland is a province full of water: with over 1,000 kilometers of waterways, such as lakes, rivers, canals, and ditches. To continue enjoying the water in the future, the province of South Holland, together with the Regional Water Association, Water Recreation Netherlands, and the Hollandia Network, organized the Conference on Sustainable Water Recreation South Holland. This took place in the Hortus Botanicus in Leiden at the beginning of the Week of Sustainable Water Recreation. It was the kickoff for the start of the Water Recreation Table.
Opportunities for Water Recreation
During the conference, administrators, entrepreneurs, policymakers, water boards, and interest organizations reflected together on the future of recreation on and around the water. Important themes included sustainable navigation, sustainable water recreation, nature, health, inclusivity, and climate.
The central message: We can only ensure future-proof water recreation together. Participants discussed how we can make the stay on and along the water more attractive, for example, with beautiful sailing routes, more mooring places, and cozy marinas. It also discussed the smart water network. It was discussed how we can make the navigation network safer and more accessible, among other things, by better coordination of operating times and addressing bottlenecks in sailing routes.
Finally, green water recreation was central. In sessions, participants looked at how we can combine nature and recreation well, for example, by expanding canoe routes and promoting electric navigation.
Anne Koning, Deputy for Recreation, Tourism, and Sports: “Water recreation is important to be active, meet each other, and relax. Activities such as swimming, stand-up paddleboarding, windsurfing, and other water sports provide more movement and fun. We want people with disabilities or fewer opportunities to participate easily. We are therefore committed to making water recreation accessible to everyone.”
New Table for Regional Cooperation
An important moment during the conference was the announcement of the establishment of a water recreation table in 2025. The Regional Water Association will guide this table, which is inspired by the previous landscape tables. It is intended as a permanent cooperation platform where governments, organizations, and entrepreneurs can engage in dialogue and continue to discuss the development of recreation on and around the water.
By bundling local knowledge and forces, bottlenecks can be addressed better and opportunities can be utilized more quickly. The symbolic conclusion of the conference underscored this initiative: Koning and representatives of the new table jointly assembled large puzzle pieces – a powerful gesture that made it clear that cooperation is the key to future-proof water recreation.
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