One of Europe’s top hotspots is cracking down on tourism even further by announcing another new rule taking the number of measures to a whopping 75.
Last year, Amsterdam welcomed over 23 million visitors, making it one of the most visited cities in the world – among those millions are Brits.
With tourist numbers at a record high, many locals say the city’s infrastructure is being overwhelmed and they are at risk of losing their beautiful city to overtourism.
In a bid to combat the skyrocketing tourism numbers, Amsterdam wants to make it harder for hotels to cram more beds into existing rooms, such as adding more bunk beds, the city said in a statement.
“There are currently several hotels that are increasing their total sleeping places during renovation, conversion, expansion or within existing rooms,” the city alleged.
“The decision will immediately prohibit, for example, adding rooms or sleeping places in hotels during a renovation, or adding more beds, bunk beds, or ‘sleeping pods’ in existing rooms.”
Amsterdam is also planning to reduce the opening hours of some of the infamous sex shows in the infamous Red Light District and cafe terraces may also be forced to close early.
Bars, cafes and restaurants in De Wallen, the most famous part of the Red Light District, will have narrower opening times.
And those caught selling drugs on the street could now face a 48-hour area ban – double the current initial punishment.
Some coffee shops may also be allowed to relocate from the city centre to other parts of Amsterdam.
The city admitted that although it does not want to close any of the 90 coffee shops which sell cannabis or hash, it does want to cut down on the amount in the city centre and will make it easier for coffee shops to relocate.
The latest measures add to the string of rules already implemented by the city, recently including plans to halve the number the number of cruise ships allowed to visit by 2026, with plans for an entire ban by 2035.
And earlier this year, officials in the Dutch capital also capped the total number of tourists a year allowed to stay in hotels overnight.
The local Amsterdam government said in a statement: “We want to make and keep the city liveable for residents and visitors.
“This means: no over-tourism, no new hotels, and no more than 20 million hotel overnight stays by tourists per year.”
Another step announced by the authorities was a limit on river cruises, as part of a bid to curb tourist numbers.
