Holland No More

From MSN/Independent:

“Netherlands to drop ‘Holland’ as nickname”

The Netherlands is gearing up to drop the moniker “Holland” as it rebrands itself in 2020. Holland is a region of the Netherlands, but the two names are often used interchangeably to describe the northern European country. From January, the Netherlands will officially drop “Holland” from all literature and marketing materials, so the country will only be referred to be its official name. The rebrand, which cost €200,000, is part of a wider relaunch of the country’s image, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. It comes before the country is due to host the Eurovision Song Contest and participate in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The orange tulip logo has been axed in favour of the letters NL, which look like a stylised tulip, reports Dutch News. It was unveiled last month by Dutch trade minister Sigrid Kaag.  The current tourism site, Holland.com, is still using the slogan “this is Holland” alongside an orange tulip. Holland is a region of the Netherlands that includes the well-known Dutch cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. The new strategy is also understood to be focusing on sustainable tourism by looking at longer-stay visitors to cities beyond capital Amsterdam.  In May, the Dutch tourist board said it would stop actively promoting the Netherlands as a tourist destination because of concerns that its cities and attractions are becoming overcrowded. The country’s tourist numbers are anticipated to grow from 19 million now to 29 million over the next decade – and the country’s authorities do not necessarily see that as an entirely good thing.  “To control visitor flow and leverage the opportunities that tourism brings with it, we must act now,” the country’s tourist board said in a strategy document laying out its plan for the coming decade. “Instead of destination promotion, it is now time for destination management.”

^ I can understand the Dutch not wanting to promote the name “Holland” anymore since Holland is only a region of the Netherlands (it would be like saying “Texas” instead of the United States, “Ontario” instead of Canada or “Wales” instead of the United Kingdom.) With that said the majority of English-speakers around the world only know and use the term Holland so officially changing to The Netherlands will only cause confusion – which it seems the Dutch may be fine with since it could mean less tourists to their country. The Dutch may officially stop using “Holland” to refer to the Netherlands, but I don’t see the English-speakers doing the same. Holland is short and sweet. ^

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/netherlands-to-drop-holland-as-nickname/ar-BBYok1x?li=AAnZ9Ug