Giethoorn, the 'Venice of the North,' attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Many tourists want to experience the idyllic village from the water, which leads to crowds and sometimes even traffic jams on the canals. To manage this, two innovative solutions have now been launched: the online platform Giethoorn.live and the Giethoorn Village boating app.
What if you could see from home or the office how busy it is in Giethoorn? The Giethoorn Village Partners had been wishing for this for some time. Initially, a livestream in Giethoorn via cameras was considered, but privacy concerns stood in the way of such a project.
Until employee Robert Doevendans came up with a clever idea. Each rental boat of Giethoorn Village BV is already equipped with a GPS system from Track-M. On a large screen in the reception area, the boats are displayed live – ideal for the staff and entertaining for visitors. "Can't we just put this on our website?" Robert asked. That was the starting signal for something new.
Within a week, Jasper Strik (Key Webdesign) and Stefan Groenewoud (Track-M) developed the new platform together: Giethoorn.live. Through this website, anyone can now see live where the boats of Giethoorn Village are sailing – a handy indication of how busy it is on the water.
Giethoorn Village currently has 95 of its own boats equipped with GPS. All of these are displayed on Giethoorn.live. In addition, the company also rents out 84 boats on behalf of partners in the village. Soon, these boats will also be equipped with GPS, making the view on the website even more complete. In total, there are around 1,000 rental boats in Giethoorn, so there is still room to further expand coverage. With Giethoorn.live, you can see at a glance where it is busy and whether there are still boats available.
Live platform
In addition to the live platform, there is now also the Giethoorn Village boating app. This app helps visitors navigate the village more intelligently and calmly. You can easily choose a route that suits you: from a short trip of an hour to a full day on the water. The routes guide you not only past the most beautiful spots but also along quieter areas – ideal for avoiding crowds and fully enjoying the nature and unique character of Giethoorn.
