The popular city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands is once again in the headlines during its fight against overtourism. In the latest move, officials have announced a new policy that will ban the construction of new hotels in the city. Moreover, as recently reported, Amsterdam is also planning to reduce river cruises on its canals to try and keep tourism numbers down along with many other measures.

New hotel construction banned in Amsterdam to fight overtourism

To keep Amsterdam a liveable city, officials have been taking steps to fight overtourism since the pandemic. In the latest move, The Washington Post reports that officials have announced new measures to ban the construction of new hotels in the city.

According to a recent announcement, the new measures will prohibit the construction of any new hotels, unless they are replacing old hotels that have shut down. However, even in that case, the new accommodations must not surpass the bed count of their predecessors. Meanwhile, they must also be “better,” more modern and sustainable. Moreover, Amsterdam’s officials are pushing for hoteliers to choose sites outside of the congested historic city center.

Other steps against overtourism

This latest move comes as various efforts have been made, aiming at curbing the overwhelming influx of tourists in the Dutch city. Amsterdam is widely known as a popular destination with lax drug policies and an overall tolerance for intense nightlife.

Here, tourists can legally buy up to five grams of cannabis, which is widely available in the city’s famous coffee shops. Moreover, Amsterdam’s Red Light District hosts sex workers, displaying themselves in the windows, as well as peep shows, sex theaters and shops, strip clubs and several bars, nightclubs, cinemas and museums.

All combined, these have led to crowds of “nuisance” tourists flocking to the city for uninhibited nightlife, to which officials have recently created serious campaigns to curb this kind of tourism. One step taken in 2023 was the “Stay Away” program, mainly aimed at drunken British men between the ages of 18 and 35.

In a further step, officials in Amsterdam have also approved a proposal to move the cruise ship terminal. This would not only address overtourism, by halting thousands of passengers disembarking in the city center, but would also address environmental concerns. Moreover, in the latest news, officials are also planning to reduce the number of river cruise ships entering the city’s historic canals.