MADRID, 22 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) -
The Dutch city of Amsterdam is not going to allow the construction of new hotel buildings as part of its fight against mass tourism. The Dutch capital will not apply this rule to new hotels that have already obtained a permit.
Local government sources indicated that a new hotel can only be built in Amsterdam if another hotel closes, if the number of sleeping places does not increase and if the new hotel is better than the previous one, for example more sustainable.
In a statement, the city council assures that it wants to keep the city livable for both visitors and residents. "This means: no to excess tourism, no to new hotels and no more than 20 million tourist overnight stays per year."
The city's policy on hotel construction was already strict, and according to the city, there were only three proposals as of 2017 that met Amsterdam's requirements. New hotels that had been approved or were in development (26 in total) would be allowed to proceed for now.
Amsterdam thus tightens its hotel policy, which adds to other restrictions to reduce mass tourism, including the ban on cruise ships. This week it announced that it would begin reducing the number of river cruise ships allowed to dock in its waters.
In 2023 that figure was 2,125. The goal is that by 2028, the city wants it to be reduced by half, with no more than 1,150. That measure could reduce the number of visitors coming to the city by about 271,000.
In addition, the city council will place limitations on the number of buses that arrive in the city. The city council ensures that the city of Amsterdam "is for living and working" and that tourism is a second activity.
This is the latest in a series of measures that the Dutch capital has taken to mitigate the problem of overtourism in the city. A few months ago he also banned the use of marijuana on the public streets of the red light district and put an end to guided tours that passed through the windows of sex workers.
The limit of 20 million overnight stays arises from the popular initiative 'Amsterdam has a choice' in which 30,000 Amsterdam residents asked for the flow of visitors in the city to be controlled.
Thus, it was established by regulation that the number of overnight stays by tourists cannot exceed 20 million. The number of hotel nights in Amsterdam reached 20.6 million in 2023 excluding vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts and cruise nights.
For this reason, the city council assures that it has been forced to take extra measures to guarantee that the number of hotel nights in the city does not continue to increase.
In total, Amsterdam has about 42,000 hotel rooms with capacity for more than 92,000 people, according to the country's statistics institute.
Amsterdam is not the only major European destination that has struggled to handle growing numbers of tourists. Venice announced it would charge visitors on day trips 5 euros ($5.33) to enter the iconic streets of its city center on weekends and some holidays from April 25 to mid-July. , its busiest season.
