Tourism is being “restructured” in Amsterdam, said the mayor of the city, Femke Halsema. The main goal is clearly announced – the new tourism development plan aims to make Amsterdam stop being considered a place where you have to go “for sex and drugs”.
With the plan to be prepared, it aims to transform Amsterdam from a place to come for “sex and drugs” to a city where tourists come to see good museums and experience culture and art. Also, Amsterdam hopes, thanks to the new plan, to avoid the problem of London – excessive prices that have developed due to tourists, and the problem of Venice – from where “overtourism” literally evicts residents.
A year before the pandemic, Amsterdam, which received 22 million visitors, also suffered from overtourism, and especially – from tourists who arrived with bad intentions – attracted by the image of a city of “free spirits”, that is, precisely “for sex and drugs”. “A return to the pre-Covid situation must be avoided. There must be a plan based on a healthy visitor profile that enriches the city and its residents, and the economy based on it,” the mayor said. According to her, “unwanted” tourists are still a minority, and tourism is an important part of the economy.
“We need to solve two problems. The first problem is what I call the London problem: our city is becoming too expensive. This becomes a problem primarily for our middle class – because of tourists, the price of rent rises high, and people cannot pay and leave the city. We need social stability and real estate price control for our citizens. The second problem is Venetian: people who live here, especially in the city center, begin to feel like strangers in their city due to the huge influx of tourists. We need to find a new balance to ensure the comfort of Amsterdam locals while welcoming international visitors and tourists.”
As for the “commercialization” of Amsterdam at the international level from the point of view of drugs and prostitution, the mayor’s opinion is harsh: this is already unacceptable. The accumulation of tourists in the Red Light District has led to an increase in crime in the city. Similarly, the Amsterdam “coffee shops”, where many tourists go to look for cannabis – the demand is growing, and this also leads to an increase in organized crime. According to the mayor, a meeting of the city council dedicated to banning the sale of cannabis in the city will be held in September.
In general, the plan is planned to be implemented by 2025. According to him, the tourism economy should add value to the city and not cause discomfort to residents.