The city expects 18 million overnight stays this year

• Lee Kraniotis

  economics editor

The municipality of Amsterdam will take extra measures to limit the number of tourists. This morning it turned out that in the third quarter (July, August, September) more tourists stayed overnight in the Netherlands than before corona. And many of them do so in the main tourist attraction of the Netherlands: Amsterdam.

The city council has determined that if the expected number of overnight stays in the city exceeds 18 million this year, additional measures must be taken. And the municipality’s forecast is that that number will indeed be achieved this year.

Residents and entrepreneurs see that it is indeed getting busier. Some tourists like it:

That is why alderman Sofyan Mbarki of Economic Affairs will present a package of measures before 1 December. He doesn’t want to anticipate what they will be. “But let me say that the measures are broad. As a city, we want to ensure that visitors remain welcome, but at the same time do justice to the quality of life of residents.”

He acknowledges that tourism also creates employment. “But we also have to name the downside. With our package of measures we hope to bring back the balance.”

Possible measures have already been determined. This concerns, for example, a further restriction of Airbnb nights and an increase in the tourist tax. That tax is now 3 euros per person per night plus 7 percent of the room rate.

The so-called ‘entertainment fee’ can also be increased. This is a kind of tax on cruises, events and festivals and is now 1.50 euros per visitor.

Stef Driessen, leisure specialist at ABN Amro, does not think that a higher tourist tax will stop many tourists. “Price-sensitive tourists will perhaps move to hotels in Hoofddorp, Amstelveen and Almere. But from there they will still travel to Amsterdam.”

Making cruises and festivals more expensive will also make little difference, he thinks. “The major crowd puller is Amsterdam’s inner city. People come there to walk around and enjoy what is a kind of open-air museum. They shop, visit museums and also the Red Light District.”

What he thinks can help is to make coffee shops only accessible to residents of the Netherlands. “The fact is that the coffee shops are crowd pullers. But there is no support for this measure in the Amsterdam city council.”

Els Iping is committed to a livable city center with the Stop De Gekte residents’ group. She herself lives in the Red Light District. “The situation here is very difficult for many residents. The city center is overrun by tourists. And often not by the nicest people. They come to lurk at the prostitutes and to visit coffee shops.”

She occasionally longs for the peace of the corona period. “Of course it was not a healthy situation. But the beauty of the city came into its own then. And you also saw the local residents more. I really hope that the municipality takes drastic measures, but I am not very optimistic that the council will going to dare.”

Inner city resident Jasper van Dijk also welcomes measures to reduce the number of tourists. “There is a lot of nuisance. People peeing in your street, shops disappearing. A shoe shop in my neighborhood has now become an ice cream shop for tourists. It takes the character out of your city.”

Together with a number of others, he started the Amsterdam Has a Choice initiative. 30,000 people joined and asked the municipality to set limits on mass tourism. “I am optimistic that the municipality will now come up with a comprehensive package of measures. The city always took steps that were too small, but they are now looking at the problem from a broader perspective.”