To reduce mass tourism and pollution, Amsterdam’s City Council has voted to ban cruise ships from docking in the city.
According to theguardian.com, a statement from D66, the party that runs the city, and environmentalists GrownLinks, said polluting cruise ships were not in line with the sustainable ambitions of the city.
This announcement is part of the ongoing effort to limit the number of tourists, clamp down on rowdy visitors and respond to environmental concerns, reports ttgmedia.com.
Amsterdam’s research and statistics unit predicts that the city will accommodate 20 million tourists this year. In line with the city’s Tourism in Balance ordinance, a limit of between 10 and 20 million overnight tourist visits per year has been set, that requires the city to take action if the quota is exceeded, according to thenationalnews.com.
Other recent measures to prevent harmful effects of mass tourism include a ban on smoking cannabis in the Red Light District and a ‘Stay Away’ campaign targeting young British men to discourage drug and alcohol-fuelled parties.
D66 said the continuation of passage for cruise ships on River IJ would further hinder development plans for the construction of a new bridge between the city’s historic southern district and the Noord district.
