Amsterdam bans cruise chips from city centre after campaign targeting young Britons
Amsterdam, which draws around 20 million tourists a year, is trying to regulate the number of visitors in line with its sustainability policy and to safeguard locals.
Amsterdam has banned cruise ships from its centre, the latest attempt by the city council to tackle pollution levels and limit the number of visitors.
The presence of these vessels clashes with the Dutch capital's efforts to be greener and sustainable, local politicians explained.
A statement issued by centre-right party D66, which runs the city alongside social democrats PvdA and environmentalists GroenLinks, read: "Polluting cruise ships are not in line with the sustainable ambitions of our city".
The passage of giant cruise ships was also not compatible with plans to build a new bridge between the city's southern district and the Noord district amid new development plans, the party said.
As a consequence of this move, the central cruise terminal on the River IJ near Amsterdam's main train station will close.
This is the latest effort to control pollution and over-tourism to be implemented by Amsterdam's local politicians.
In late March, the city launched a digital campaign targeting British tourists aged between 18 and 35, bluntly asking them to "stay away".
In a clear message to people planning pub crawls or stag parties in Amsterdam, the advert showed a young man being handcuffed and having his fingerprints and mugshot taken by police.
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An on-screen message read: "Coming to Amsterdam for a messy night + getting trashed = €140 fine + criminal record = fewer prospects. So coming to Amsterdam for a messy night? Stay away."
In May, it also became illegal to smoke cannabis in the streets of the red light district, a move part of a regulation aiming to clean up Amsterdam's image and manage its tourist crowds.
Amsterdam is one of the several cities that has been trying to regulate the traffic of tourists and their behaviour.
Spain's Lanzarote, a sun-kissed getaway much-loved by Britons, has also recently implemented measures aiming to attract "higher-quality" visitors who want more from the island than cheap booze.
Officials in Bali are also debating introducing a tourist tax to control the number of people entering the Indonesian holiday hotspot.
Venice in Italy has long battled with over-tourism and is set to introduce a ticket to limit the number of daily visitors in 2024.
