Netherlands or the Netherlands. These two expressions have long been used to refer to the country north of Belgium and west of Germany. But as of January 1, only one will be officially correct. Businesses, embassies, ministries, municipalities and universities will be required to refer to the state known for its vast tulip fields as Netherlands. Why?
In fact, the Netherlands is the name of two regions of the Netherlands. The Government now wants to change the image of the country abroad and invested about 200,000 euros in official name changeso that it becomes more inclusive and promotes the whole country – not just some regions.
The Government will also change the international logo used, namely by tourist agencies, to include two symbols: NL (the abbreviation for ‘Netherlands’) and an orange tulip, followed by the word ‘Netherlands’ (the designation in English). Currently, the symbol used by official bodies was that of a tulip with the word “Holland”. A choice that, according to a Foreign Ministry spokesman, made no sense. “It’s a bit weird to promote only a small part of the Netherlands, ie the Netherlands, ”he says, quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald.
About 25 years ago, the tourism industry began to promote the country as “the Netherlands”, but the same government official says that it is necessary to “promote trade, science and politics. from all over the country“
This change of image is part of a new tourism strategy that aims to attract a sustainable form of tourism. Government wants to end high numbers of visitors and flights low cost, which put pressure on local resources and populations, and promote more sustainable and environmentally friendly travel. The Executive estimates that the number of visitors will reach 30 million people by 2030.
In 2016, the Czech Republic also changed its name to Czechia in an attempt to make it easier to pronounce internationally.
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