Amsterdam plans to ban cruise ships to curb tourism

Plans are awaiting the greenlight which would see cruise ship banned from the city centre of Amsterdam completely starting from 2035. The Dutch capital is planning to take new steps to combat overtourism including the launch of plans which would relocate passenger cruise terminals to outside of the city centre. If the plans go ahead, by 2035, none of the boats will be able to dock in the iconic city. 

This announcement comes amid plans that aim to see the number of cruise ships allowed to dock at the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam (PTA) nearly half. The current amount is allowed is 190 but that is hoped to drop to a maximum of 100 by 2026.

Rotterdam to the south has agreed to take more than 40 ships not welcome to the capital by 2026 and by 2027, any boats in the terminal in Amsterdam will be required to use shore power. This is to lessen their environmental impact.

While the plans will certainly help in improving the environmental conditions in Amsterdam, there are those who fear that the income generated from tourism will see a sharp decline as a result of this. Lowering the number of cruise passengers as well as shipping companies into the city is feared to see museums, restaurants, shops, and tour companies losing out. Amsterdam city council has acknowledged this as being a potential issue.

Cruise ships are currently responsible for around €105 million in annual economic benefits to Amsterdam. However, experts say that the planned relocation will be unlikely to change too much.

Amsterdam sees around 21 million visitors every year and only one percent of that number is from cruise ship arrivals. And even if passengers are not dropped off right in the city centre, they can still visit thanks to the Netherlands’ “world-class” public transport system.