Amsterdam to halt hotel construction in bid to control tourism

Dutch authorities said they want to control a city that is overrun with tourism, in their eyes. The effort would also control annual hotel stays.

Peter Dejong / AP

By Scripps News Staff
Apr 19, 2024

Dutch authorities say the popular city Amsterdam is overrun with tourism. They want to curb it by halting new hotel construction and reducing annual hotel stay numbers there.

New local council rules in Amsterdam would stop properties from raising the limits on numbers of beds and would only allow new hotels to be built if another property closes, Euronews reported.

Celebrations in the city like the recent one for King's Day can bring is big tourist numbers, but they can also bring in littering, increased pickpocketing, alcohol consumption in the streets and noise, Amsterdam's city council said.

Efforts to control tourism numbers are meant to make residents of the city more comfortable.
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City authorities have also decided to cut the number of riverboat cruises allowed to enter the capital, from about 2,300 that were docked there in 2023 to about 1,150 by 2028, Euronews reported.

Travel publications like Travel Pulse said certain seasons can bring in an overwhelming influx of visitors to the city, which is known for liberal drug policies and its Red-Light district.

In 2023 the World Economic Forum published a report looking at the problem of over-tourism around the globe. In it, leaders spoke about a spike in excessive tourism after the deep lull brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In cities like Barcelona, an energy of anti-tourism sentiment has permeated among residents. The WEF described the surge of tourism as "rapid" and "unyielding."

Governments have been encouraged to be decisive and firm about how they develop policies to response to issues of high tourist demand, the WEF said in the report.