The tourist overcrowding that has caused thousands of people to demonstrate first in the Canary Islands and then in the rest of the country for sustainable tourism, also affects other countries in our environment.
As a result of a popular initiative in 2021, supported by 30,000 residents who asked the authorities for greater control of the tourism industry, the Amsterdam Government created the 'Tourism in Balance' plan which includes strong measures in this regard. Among them, it has prohibited the opening of new hotels.
Currently, in Amsterdam, you can only open a new hotel when another closes. In addition, when a new hotel opens in place of an old one, the new establishment must be more modern and sustainable.
The plan proposes to reduce tourist overnight stays in hotels to below 20 million per year. Last year, the city of Amsterdam recorded 20.7 million overnight stays, a figure that does not include vacation rentals or cruise trips.
Amsterdam has also taken measures to limit behaviors by tourists that cause inconvenience to residents. These include banning cannabis smoking in certain parts of the city, earlier closing of some clubs and bars, imposing new limits on canal cruises, and converting some hotels into homes or offices.
