DUTCH CROWN PRINCE WILL OPEN FAMOUS KEUKENHOF GARDENS

New York, March 13, 2008

2008 Theme Celebrates the Olympics in Beijing

The official opening of the 59th edition of the international Keukenhof flower
show will be conducted by His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander, the
Prince of Orange. Prince Willem-Alexander, a member of the International
Olympic Committee, will be joined by Mr. Niu Youcheng, vice-mayor of Beijing,
Her Excellency Xue Hangin, Chinese Ambassador to the Netherlands and Ms.
Erica Terpstra, chairwoman of the Dutch Olympic Committee & Sports
Federation.

This year, Keukenhof has chosen China, the 2008 Olympic Games and Beijing
as the themes for the flower park. The opening ceremony will be held on
Wednesday, March 19th. The flower show will be open to the public from
March 20th until May 18th.

In addition to the theme highlighting the Olympic Games and Paralympics in
Beijing, the Keukenhof will also focus special attention on China's cultural and
historical significance through special events, the inspirational garden and a
variety of shows. An enormous dragon is slowly awakening underneath the
soil: this spring, 24,500 tulip and grape hyacinth bulbs will burst into bloom,
forming a 15 by 10 meter (approx. 49x32 ft) floral mosaic of this traditional
Chinese symbol.

Over the past months, a total of seven million flower bulbs have been planted
in the park in order to herald another vibrant and colorful spring at Keukenhof.
In addition to traditional elements, this year the 32 hectare (approx. 79 ac)
park will present visitors with many new developments, intended to find a
common ground between nature and culture.

History
Keukenhof was originally the herb garden ("keuken" means kitchen in Dutch)
of the Countess of Holland, Jacoba van Beyeren (1401-1436). In 1840, the
horticultural architects Zocher, a father and son, designed the park that
forms the basis of the current Keukenhof. They also designed the noted
Vondelpark in Amsterdam.

Opening Details
Thousands of visitors from all over the world come to marvel at the sea of
colors each year.  The 80-acre park, located one hour from Amsterdam and
renowned for the millions of tulips, narcissi, hyacinths and other bulb flowers,
will be open daily to the public from March 20th through May 18th, from
8:00am to 7:30pm (ticket office open until 6:00pm). Entrance fee is Euro
13,50 (approx. US $21) for adults and Euro 6,00 (approx. US $9) for children.
Keukenhof can be reached by train and bus, or by car. E-tickets can be
ordered via the website.

The famous annual flower parade from Noordwijk to Haarlem, the largest in
Holland, will take place on Saturday, April 26th. 

For more information on the Keukenhof Gardens, visit the website:
www.keukenhof.com or E-mail to: info@keukenhof.nl.

For information on Holland:
E-Mail: information@holland.com
Internet: www.holland.com

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