Stating that they want to make and maintain the city more liveable for its residents and visitors, the local government has announced that it will no longer allow the construction of new hotel buildings in Amsterdam as part of the fight against overtourism and mass tourism, and that a new hotel can only be built if another hotel closes, the number of sleeping places does not increase and the new hotel is better, for example more sustainable.
The new decision by the local government will not apply to new hotels that have already received a permit, as Amsterdam is actively trying to limit the number of tourists, which reaches millions a year, by discouraging them. This is the latest in a series of measures taken by the Netherlands capital to alleviate the problem of over tourism in the city.
Last year, the Amsterdam City Council voted to ban cruise ships and close the passenger terminal. According to the Amsterdam Tourism in Balance Ordinance of 2021, the city council is obliged to intervene if tourism figures reach 18 million people.
In the statement made by the local government of Amsterdam on the subject, This means that there is no overtourism, no new hotels, no overnight accommodation of 20 million people a year.
