The Netherlands doesn’t want to be called Holland anymore

The Netherlands will stop using Holland as its nickname in the new year as part of a €200,000 rebranding campaign.

The country’s government is looking to update its international image ahead of the 2020 Olympics and the Eurovision Song Contest, which the Netherlands will host.

The name Holland only refers to two of the country’s 12 provinces, North-Holland, where Amsterdam is located, and South-Holland, the home of Rotterdam and The Hague. However, the nickname is often used to describe the entire country, officially called the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The government is spending €200,000 and, come January, companies, embassies, ministries and universities will only refer to the country using its official name.

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.

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