Goodbye Holland, Hello The Netherlands!
For many years the government of Holland used ‘The Netherlands’ and ‘Holland’ interchangeably, without favoring one or the other. Either name, everyone felt, was synonymous with windmills, placid canals, Hans Brinker, and tulip fields. But starting in 2020 the Dutch government has decreed a strict rebranding of their country, to avoid confusion between it and Belgium (which also has tulip fields, canals, and windmills -- along with premier chocolate and Tin-Tin.) The Dutch would now prefer that you always refer to their country as ‘The Netherlands,’ and never again as ‘Holland.” Dutch government officials have been toiling over a rebranding campaign for the past two years, in order, they say, to enhance the nation’s image for tourists, who are facing many more alluring choices for their vacations as other countries…
