January 21, 2017:
Dutch National Tulip Day 2017 attracts global attention
According to TPN President Arjan Smit, ‘National Tulip Day has grown into a world-class event, with around 17,000 international visitors each year. It also attracts a great deal of attention from the national and international press, and tulips have been a trending topic on social media. We could not have imagined a better start to the tulip season’. The theme for National Tulip Day was ‘Dutch Design’, as expressed in the garden design by Floris Hovers. Tulip Day was also celebrated enthusiastically at other locations in the Netherlands. Hundreds of florists and garden centres organised tulip workshops and demonstrations.
International
Dutch tulips make their way to florists, supermarkets and specialist shops around the world. In 2017, tulip production in the Netherlands will break the boundary of two billion for the first time. Last year, the production of cut tulips amounted to 1.9 billion, with an export value of €250 million. In recent years, tulips have gained considerable popularity due to their high quality, uniformity, expanded assortment and sustainable character. Dutch tulips are currently cultivated primarily in water instead of in potting soil, without the use of chemicals. In addition, the amount of energy used in tulip production is very low in comparison to other flowers, and it continues to decrease each year.
Tulip Day
The first National Tulip Day was in 2012. Held on the third Saturday of January, it now marks the start of the new season for cut tulips each year. Throughout the season, which lasts until the end of April (about 100 days), more than 1,000 different varieties of Dutch tulips are available around the world, ranging from bright yellow to dark purple, from lily-shaped to fringed and from two-toned to double-flowered. Tulip Day is an initiative of TPN.