Amsterdam travel: Popular city break destination to halve number of river cruise calls to deter tourists

Amsterdam has announced another set of strict new rules to deter the number of tourists coming to the popular city break destination. Amsterdam City Council has confirmed plans to halve the number of river cruises entering the capital of the Netherlands.

The number of boats that entered the waterways last year reached 2,300 however under the new plans only 1,150 boats will be able to enter by 2028. By doing so, officials hope to thin out crowds of tourists as well as clean up the city's air by reducing the number of polluting ships.

The limit to the number of boats will bring tourist numbers down from 380,000 to 217,000 and will cost the city around 63 million euros in tourist income. In the spring season cruises are particularly disruptive as around 1,000 ships anchor in Amsterdam. The city council has argued this kind of tourism is of low value to Amsterdam.

Councillor Hester Van Buren said during a presentation of the plan: “I am not saying this is going to solve the problem of too many tourists. But we are not going to divide tourists up into good and bad. This is one of a string of measures to reduce the number of tourists in total. 

“It is about the overcrowding and the coaches parked all over the pavements. Overtourism is a worldwide problem, and tourists don’t like it when places are so full either. But we can’t simply put a fence around Amsterdam.”

The City Council has said that the number of ships had almost doubled since 2011, with 500,000 river cruise passengers visiting the city each year under current rules. A statement from the council said: “Amsterdam must be and remain liveable, for residents and visitors. That is why we take measures to combat overtourism. 

“We want to halve the number of river cruise ships in the city within five years to a maximum of 1,150 in 2028. Fewer river cruises means less crowds and more quality of life."

The move comes a year after Amsterdam City Council banned ocean-going cruise ships from docking in the city centre. A law stopping the large vessels from stopping at the Amsterdam Cruise Terminal located next to the Amsterdam Central Station and within walking distance of the historic old city was passed last July. 

In March last year the Dutch capital also launched a “Stay Away” campaign in a bid to deter people from visiting and engaging in rowdy behaviour. The initiative was targeted at young British men, alerting them to the negative consequences of antisocial behaviour on locals and excessive drug and alcohol abuse, as well as potential punishments. This included fines, arrest, criminal records, hospitalisation and health issues.

This year the Dutch capital has also increased its tourist tax in a continued effort to crack down on rowdy tourists. The new rate is the highest in Europe and the fourth highest globally. The new tax rate for overnight visitors is 12.5% of room price, up from 7%.