Van Gogh Theme Year 2015
Van Gogh theme year in 2015 boosts tourism growth in the region
Eindhoven is right in the middle of Brainport region, often referred to as the "Silicon Valley' of the Lowlands. However, one might forget that one of the best-known Dutch icons is actually from the Brabant region. Vincent van Gogh, the celebrated artist, was born on 29 July 1890 in Zundert, which is very close to Eindhoven Airport and right in the middle of Brabant.
2015 was the year that embarked Vincent van Gogh's 125th birthday. The Van Gogh Europe Foundation, a collaboration of around 30 organisations was seizing this opportunity to honour the Dutch artist under the theme 125 years of inspiration. The stimulus for this is that the artist inspires many people to this very day and that he is still very much ‘alive’, even 125 years after his death.
Activities were organised throughout 2015 in various towns in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and England that featured in the life and work of the artist: prominent exhibitions, cultural events, apps etc. Never before has there been cooperation on this scale between the organisations (museums and heritage sites) which are actively engaged in preserving and promoting Van Gogh’s heritage.
What was the impact of this unique cooperation for tourism in the region of Brabant? Well, 2015 was the year that the province finally welcomed over 1 million international tourism arrivals. Van Gogh themed locations like the Noordbrabants Museum in Den Bosch, Vincentre in Nuenen, Vincent's Tekenlokaal in Tilburg (drawing room), Van Gogh Kerk Etten-Leur (Chapel), Vincent van Gogh Huis in Zundert (House) all saw more than 25% more international arrivals.
Next to this the region in total welcomed over 13% more international visitors, which was the strongest growth in the Netherlands. This makes the province of Brabant the thriver of toursim growth in the Netherlands.
After 2015 Van Gogh continued to be an icon for the region. Also all Van Gogh stakeholders in Europe combined forces and launched an international website (http://www.routevangogheurope.eu/), where one can discover Van Gogh's art and life. This unique cooperation involves 3 countries, 6 museums, 9 heritage sites and 14 cities, of which the majority is to be found close to Eindhoven Airport.
(Source: CBS)