Holland vs the Netherlands… a mistake not to make when doing business there

One of the most commonly made mistakes by people visiting our little but mighty country, is that they tend to call it Holland. That’s fine when you are actually IN Holland, but when outside Holland it can be quite insulting to the Dutch people your dealing. To illustrate how this actually works, let us give you an example. Say that you are Irish and you live in a nice town just outside of Dublin. One day you are standing outside your house and this couple – obviously tourists – drive up to you and ask you where the nearest restaurant is. You tell them and, being the nice person you are, you ask them how they are enjoying their holidays.

All Hollanders are from the Netherlands, but not all Dutch people live in Holland

‘Oh, we are loving it here!’ they cry out. ‘Munster is just fabulous.’ Munster??? And that is exactly what it is like for someone in the Netherlands – as (the whole of) our country is really called – to be told that they are in Holland. Holland is only a part of the Netherlands. A densely populated part sure enough, so chances are that, while doing business in the Netherlands, you will happen upon a ‘Hollander’ regularly, but still…

Do you want to know the nitty gritty about Holland versus the Netherlands? Please watch the video to get the whole picture.