Amsterdam is tired of being inundated with tourists.
The Dutch city attracts all kinds of tourists, from party-goers to those who come to see its tulip fields, but it has suffered from overtourism in recent years and is trying to limit visitor numbers.
Last year’s “Stay Away” campaign was part of an effort to stop tourists polluting Amsterdam with “nuisance”, in the words of Deputy Mayor Sofiane Mbarki.
Now Amsterdam is planning to crack down on cruise ships as well.
The city council of the Dutch capital Amsterdam announced plans last week to limit cruise ships in the port to 100 in 2026 from 190 now, with a complete ban by 2035, it added, as part of a series of measures to curb tourism and “combat nuisances”.
“Sea cruises cause pollution, congestion and exhaust fumes in the city,” the city council said in a statement. “We want Amsterdam to be clean, liveable and sustainable.”
Amsterdam city council did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.
Tourists visiting Amsterdam enjoy boat trips on the city’s canals.
Özgen Besli — Anadolu/Getty Images
Cracking down on overtourism
The move to ban cruise ships has been in the planning stages for some time. Amsterdam wanted to steer cruise ships to terminals outside the city center because they were bringing tourists and congesting the city’s streets. In 2022, Amsterdam’s mayor criticized the city for doing too little to combat the influx of cruise ship tourists into the city.
The crackdown comes as record tourist numbers are expected to rise from 12.6 million in 2019 to 15.1 million in 2023. The surge in tourists is straining the city’s infrastructure, including public transport and quaint streets.
Amsterdam is home to some of the most picturesque canals and museums in the world. But over the years, the city has gained a reputation as a party town, one it’s trying to distance itself from. The Dutch capital has tightened regulations on marijuana smoking, especially in its entertainment district, and earlier this year banned the construction of new hotels.
While cruises aren’t the main way to get into Amsterdam, they are certainly one of the most polluting: A 2021 study estimated that a single cruise carrying thousands of passengers at a time could produce the same amount of emissions as 30,000 trucks per day.
For similar reasons, European cities like Dubrovnik and Santorini have also capped the number of cruise ships they allow, and Venice has instituted a €5 ($5.40) “tourist tax” to combat overtourism.
In addition to reducing emissions from cruise ships, Amsterdam will require ships to use only shore-based power as an alternative to existing, less-polluting diesel fuel by 2027. It will also cut back on the number of river cruises in Amsterdam’s waters.
Amsterdam fears that any efforts to restrict tourism will backfire and lose between 46 million euros ($50 million) and 103 million euros ($111 million), Bloomberg reports. The city council knows this, but believes it “cannot afford to sit back and let things get worse.”
“Failing to do this now will make our city less attractive for people and businesses and cost us more in the long term,” a city council spokesman told the media.
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