Amsterdam, one of the European cities where locals have rallied against mass tourism over the past few years, is again confronting the issue.
Political group Amsterdam Heeft een Keuze (Amsterdam Has a Choice) has now filed a lawsuit against the city, which has agreed to curb tourism numbers at 20 million overnight stays annually.
A law passed in 2021 obliges the city to start taking steps once the number reaches 18 million, to prevent reaching the limit.
Reporting says that last year’s numbers reached almost 23 million, with the group predicting that the overnight stay nights will hit 25 million next year.
Amsterdam Has a Choice’s website includes a statement on the situation:
“Amsterdammers are fed up. Local shops are giving way to souvenir shops and Nutella stores. Houses and public buildings are being converted into hotels, and you can barely walk on the sidewalks because of the long lines at TikTok hotspots.”
The city has imposed a tourist tax; visitors who stay overnight charged 12.5 percent of the room bill and day trippers from cruise lines pay €14.50 for their visits.
The group says it has support from 30,000 Amsterdam residents who have signed its petition against mass tourism.
Amsterdam officials are also planning to cap the number of river cruise calls at 1,150 ships per year.
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