Amsterdam has announced plans to reduce the number of riverboat cruises entering the city to 1 150 boats by 2028.
In 2023, 2 300 boats docked in Amsterdam’s rivers. The city’s local government has now said it wants to reduce that number by at least 1 000 vessels.
“The overtourism created by cruise visitors reached a particular frenzy during the country’s spring bulb season when 1 000 river boats dock in the capital,” Hester van Buren, Deputy Mayor of Amsterdam, told travelpulse.com.
Although the reduced number of riverboat cruises will ease overtourism, it could cause Amsterdam to lose almost US$78 million (R1,5 billion) in tourism revenue annually.
Furthermore, the reduction could significantly impact Amsterdam’s hotel industry, as city leaders expect it may mean 200 000 fewer overnight stays in local hotels.
