Status: 11.08.2021 5:09 p.m.
Millions of tourists clog the streets of Amsterdam every year. A citizens’ initiative of the city fought against it – and was successful. In future, there will be an upper limit of 20 million overnight stays by tourists per year.
Roaring crowds in the red light district and garbage on the streets – the millions of tourists were simply too many for the residents of Amsterdam. That is why the Dutch capital has introduced a tourist quota, which provides for an upper limit of 20 million overnight stays per year.
Amsterdam wants to reduce the number of overnight stays by at least ten percent and thus curb the high burden of mass tourism. This quota is based on a citizens’ initiative, as the “WAZ” reports. Around 30,000 residents of the canal city had called for tourism to be limited to a maximum of 12 million overnight stays per year. But the city did not follow suit. She set the upper limit at 20 million.
“Don’t want things to escalate anymore”
“We don’t want things to escalate anymore,” said Reinier van Dantzig, parliamentary group leader of the left-liberal Democrats 66 party in the local council. The decision is historical and Amsterdam is the first city in the world to limit the number of tourists, said Dantzig. “The rule comes directly from the residents of our city. Its strength lies in the fact that we have jointly determined how many tourists our city can tolerate.”
In 2019 there were almost 22 million overnight stays by tourists in Amsterdam. Due to the corona pandemic, tourism has now collapsed completely. According to the new regulation, the city has to submit the number of overnight stays once a year. As soon as the maximum value is exceeded, the authorities undertake to intervene: Possible measures include increasing the tourist tax and restricting private room rentals, for example via Airbnb.
Anti-tourism measures are not new
Measures against mass tourism are not new. The city has already introduced the highest bed tax in Europe and drastically tightened the rules for platforms like Airbnb. Supermarkets in the red light district are not allowed to sell alcohol from Thursday to Sunday. In addition, the visitors are counted with the help of cameras. If too many people are out and about in the alleys, it will be cordoned off.
In addition, consideration is being given to outsourcing a large part of prostitution from the red light district to the edge of the stand and banning the sale of drugs to tourists in the coffee shops.