Xavier Roger
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Amsterdam is taking a step closer to saying good riddance to wild bachelor parties and rowdy tourists.
The popular destination is launching a new campaign this spring aimed at curbing tourism-induced “nuisance and overcrowding” and building a more responsible visitor economy by 2035, according to the city’s tourism plan. The campaign’s new rules will impact some of the top tourist attractions: the Red Light District, river cruises, pub crawls and coffee shops.
City officials say they are tired of businesses who “abuse the city’s image to promote it as a place of ‘unlimited opportunity,’ ” according to the Vision on Tourism in Amsterdam 2035. The city has long attracted tourists from around the world wanting to experience its liberal laws around prostitution tolerance of soft drugs.
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Officials say it’s been “at the expense of liveability and accessibility for residents.”
“If it we go on like this, I think in 10 or 20 years, people will no longer be living in the inner city,” Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema told Dutch News. “They will have moved out because they can’t afford it, because the atmosphere is too common, because the city has become too dirty … in all of the senses.”
The campaign seeks to shine the spotlight on onto city’s cultural wealth, like historic canals and museums. There’s even an initiative called “Stay Away,” which actively discourages visitors planning to “go wild” not come.
This isn’t the first time Amsterdam has cracked down on troublesome tourists. In 2019, the city banned guided tours in the Red Light District. Last year, the mayor wanted to ban non-residents from participating in coffee shops.
Read below to learn how the new campaign could impact travelers.
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What are some of the proposed measures?
The tourism plan outlines measures that “have implications for overnight stays, excess tourism and disturbances.”
- Reducing the hours of operations for bars, clubs and the Red Light District on the weekends. Bars and clubs will close at 2 a.m. with no new visitors allowed after 1 a.m., while sex work businesses will close at 3 a.m., three hours earlier than currently.
- Limiting river cruises
- Expanding the ban on guided tours and pub crawls
- A ban on smoking cannabis in designated areas of the city center
- Restrictions on embarkation and disembarkation points for party boats in the Red Light District.
- Converting hotels to residential or office use
When will these new rules be in effect?
The campaign launches this spring and the new rules are said to be implemented in mid-May. But the overarching rebranding of Amsterdam’s visitor economy will take place over the next 12 years by 2035.
Will Amsterdam limit the number of tourists?
Yes, the city is looking to take action on the number of overnight tourists. In 2019, over 18.4 million overnight tourists came to Amsterdam. In 2021, an ordinance called “Amsterdam Tourism in Balance” was adopted by the city council that set a cap on the number of visitors to 20 million. If over 18 million people come to Amsterdam, “the municipal executive is obliged to take action” – this year, the city predicts that many tourists to arrive.
Katheen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com
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