Jos Vranken will step down from the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions (NBTC) on 1 October. After a period of 17 years as managing director, the time has come for him to hand over the baton. After taking office at the end of 2007, Vranken carried out a large-scale reorganisation as a result of the financial crisis and the resulting cutbacks. The crisis was followed by a period in which the emphasis was on optimising the economic impact of tourist and business visits. The rapid growth then ushered in a new era for destination Netherlands. Under Vranken’s leadership, NBTC introduced the national vision on tourism ‘Perspective 2030’ in 2018. This marked the start of the transition from destination promotion to destination management. This also formed the basis for a sustainable recovery after the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, the aim is no longer just to attract more visitors, but to focus on the contribution that visitors can make to social challenges. This new approach and principles are not only widely embraced in the Netherlands, but also receive a lot of international recognition. ‘In recent years, a new phase has begun, in which we, as an organisation, have started the transition to a national destination management organisation,’ says Vranken. ‘The basis for this is solid, with a clear ambition and strategy and a professional, motivated and healthy organisation. At the beginning of this year, the agreements with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy for the next four years were also laid down in a new decision. A good moment for me to hand over the baton now. I will still be fully involved with NBTC until 1 October, and I want to use the time after that to take some distance to orient myself on my next step with a fresh perspective.’ No successor has yet been announced. The Supervisory Board of NBTC, with the help of an external agency, will start the recruitment and selection process for a new general manager this month. Photo: Jos Vranken during the ANVR congress in Bremen in 2022 (Archive photo TravMagazine).
