The value of RMT NOF
On the edge of Holwert, where the dike lifts the land and the wind always has a story to tell, Sytze de Haan runs Zee van Tijd. What once started as a restaurant has now become a hotel, a group accommodation and a campsite – a place where guests can arrive, unwind and discover the unique coastal region.
Sytze grew up in Holwert. “As a young boy, I thought: I have to get away from here.” And he did. But, as so often happens, life brought him back to where it all began. “You grow up and suddenly realize: if there is nothing, I can create something myself. Holwert is not an end point, but a starting point. So much passes through here – you have to do something with that.”
From restaurant to accommodation: space for new steps
Sytze loves challenges and building something that truly works. For three years he ran the restaurant, but gradually he made a conscious shift. Today, they welcome groups of up to 14 people on weekends, and during the week hotel guests who stay with breakfast. Cooperation comes naturally: breakfast is provided by the local supermarket, meals are enjoyed on the pier, and bicycles are rented in the village.
“It’s very simple: when you strengthen each other, the village stays alive.”
A new dream: making travel through Friesland even easier
With Zee van Tijd running in a stable rhythm, Sytze now focuses fully on Friesland Holland Travel, his travel agency. His latest project is typical of his way of thinking: practical, innovative and centered on the guest experience. He is developing an interactive Wolf map containing everything travelers need: public toilets, good lunch spots, beautiful places and practical stops. “Guests don’t want to have to think while they’re on the road; they want to know where they can go. Everything I personally find useful goes into it. Eventually it will become part of travel packages – and perhaps much more.”
At home by the dike
Ask Sytze about his favorite place and a smile appears immediately. “The sea dike, the salt marshes, the island … the way the sun sets here. Holwert remains special. But the Noardlike Fryske Wâlden are also fantastic. The more often I go there, the more ideas I get.”
The network that opens doors plays a major role in this – and RMT NOF is an important part of it. “The autumn meetings are worth their weight in gold to me. I meet entrepreneurs there whom I need to make travel packages succeed.” For example, he asked B&Bs whether his hikers could join them for dinner. Four times he immediately received a cheerful “Yes, of course!” “That only works if you know each other. The network is warm, close-knit and very practical.” It not only helps his business grow, but also helps create unforgettable experiences for tourists. You really need each other.
Questions that put everything into perspective
Sytze spent many years as a tour guide in Peru and notices that tourists everywhere share the same sense of wonder. “What do Frisians actually eat?” “What are those baskets in the water?” “Those are just einekoeren—baskets where ducks lay their eggs,” he laughs. It reminds him how special his own living environment really is.
And where do guests absolutely have to go? On that, Sytze is brief: the Tegeltjesbrug. “Always a hit.”
