• Regions in the Delta area
• Cities
• Seaside resorts
• Province of Zeeland
• History
• Landscape
• Population
• Economy
• Nature
• Fishing
• Agriculture
• Recreation
• Municipality
• The Deltaworks' visitor centres
• Museums
• Attractions
• Walking
• Cycling
• Nature Recreation
• Staying in the Delta area

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Recreation

Zeeland is the province of the water and the coasts. Lots of activities are available for aquatic recreation. Zeeland must offer plenty of cultural history, nature and social life. Beautiful historical sites can be visited in the cities of Middelburg, Veere and Zierikzee, each of which attract many visitors each year. Some of these visitors return year after year! The inhabitants of Zeeland like to recreate in their province of nature, culture and water as well. And they have good reasons to! The weather is often better than elsewhere - Zeeland is the sunniest province in the Netherlands and has fresh air every day of the year!

Sport

There are many sporting clubs in Zeeland, all of which are very well organised. The Zeeland Sports Council accommodates the sporting infrastructure. Affiliated with the Council is Qui-Vive, a company that provides sporting and gaming equipment for let.

In Zeeland there is ample space to enjoy sports by yourself. Easilly accessible paved roads are everywhere, for walking, jogging, roller skating, and cycling etc. Beautiful pre-planned routes are available, but you can create you own route as well! A specially prepared 25km long skating circuit is available on Walcheren, and a mountain bike circuit can be found near Burgh-Haamstede. For athletics we have the Zeeland Coastal Marathon. There are also lots of swimming pools, outdoor centres and volleyball tournaments to be found in Zeeland as well. There are, for example, the Sportpunt Zeeland in Goes, swimming pool De Parel in Domburg, swimming pool Scheldorado in Terneuzen, and, in 2002 a beautiful new swimming pool was built between Middelburg and Vlissingen.

Nature

The landscape behind the dykes and dunes has much to offer: quiet polder landscapes with green pastures, vast fields, horticultural areas and orchards. Quite characteristic are the low, marshy areas where birds choose to breed. The “Zak van Zuid-Beveland” is an area with meandering paths, orchards and flowery dykes. It is a great place for a walk or cycle ride. Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen has many small, traditionally paved roads bordered by rustic willows. Every June it is “Zeeland Natuurmaand”, which sees a large number of special events inspired by and aimed at Zeeland’s nature. Silent memories of the centuries-old struggle against the water can be found in the landscape, as well as old city gates, fortifications, industrial monuments and old warehouses.

Beach and aquatics

The main reason for tourists to visit Zeeland is primarily the beaches. Nowhere in the Netherlands are so many kilometres (600 km) of beach concentrated in one relatively small area. Zeeland has lots of fresh-water lakes as well as salt-water areas. There is more than enough capacity for all kinds of aquatics. Sailing, yachting, canoeing, diving, swimming, surfing and jet- and water-skiing can all be practised. The 42 marinas with their 13,000 berths are well occupied in the summer season.
The Grevelingen Lake is the largest salt-water lake of Western Europe. It is well known for aquatics, but its only access-points are through the floodgates of Bruinisse. Besides the Veerse Meer, the Grevelingen is a popular place to surf.
If interested in diving, the Oosterschelde is the perfect place to be. Its clear waters and special banks make it an ideal place to dive. The flora and fauna is extraordinary beautiful. Various kinds of species, including starfish, crabs, lobster and sea snails live in the Oosterschelde.

Economical Importance

Aquatics have such an important place in Zeeland, that it’s one of the most important economical sectors. Yachting and accommodation sectors in and around the Deltaworks generate an annual turnover of €172.5 million. The employment this generates equates to 3235 human years. Eight percent of all professionals in Zeeland are employed in tourism and recreation. Zeeland has 218 hotels and 64 bungalow parks in which 11 million overnight stays were booked in 2002. An average of €26 per person was spent every day. Most visitors come from Germany and Belgium.

Provincial Policy

The policy of the provincial government is not only aimed at the quality of the infrastructure, but at the additional facilities as well. More sanitation and other facilities need to be constructed in this sense to provide the increasing number of hikers and bikers.
The image of aquatics needs to be changed as well. Aquatics are often associated with the province of Friesland, even though Zeeland has the largest water surface area: 36 percent of the Netherlands.

To improve the image of the aquatics means to improve the quality of the marinas. The marinas of Breskens, Zierikzee and Sint Annaland are to be renovated in 2004 and 2005. Improving the connections between aquatic areas is another important factor. All policies on this terrain are summarised in the Watersportaktieplan 2002-2005.