The authorities of Amsterdam. major centre of the Netherlands revealed some measures it plans to implement to reduce river cruise traffic. City officials note it welcomed nearly 2.000 river ship calls in 2024, after hosting 2.300 ships in 2023 and looking ahead, Travel Weekly, the most influential B2B news resources for the travel industry , reports that river cruise lines will receive an annual reduction quota for 2026, based on 2025 bookings.
Amsterdam river cruise industry is facing changes as the city aims to manage the impact of tourism, particularly river cruise traffic. The city council plans to reduce the number river cruise ships calls by a nearly half to a maximum of 1.150 by 2028. This is part of a broader effort to address overcrowding and improve the overall quality of life in the city.
While river cruises are seen as a less problematic form of tourism than large ocean liners, the sheer volume of visitors has led to concerns about overcrowding and its impact on residents.
The European River Cruise Association, representing river cruise lines, formed a task force in cooperation with city officials to share thoughts to work on a workable solution to overtourism concerns and likely phasing in reductions, there will be a river ship quota starting next year, with the exact number still being discussed.
The Association highlighted that currently river cruise visitation represents about 2% of the total visitation to Amsterdam, fuelling about $257 million in direct tourism.
Despite this relevant performance in terms of revenue, Amsterdam wants to reduce the number of visitors via river by around 250.000 by 2028 and the European River Cruise Association hopes to agree a compromise with the authorities of the city.
An Association board member and group CFO of river cruise operator Scylla, Robert Verbeek told Travel Weekly that river cruising could be a solution and is not part of the of the problem, calling river cruise tourism temporary and also manageable since stops are typically brief.
The hope among industry leaders is to reach an agreement with the authorities of Amsterdam to dock river cruise ships only during approved periods.
A further chapter concerns Amsterdam’s tentative plans to cut down on ocean cruise ships too. The strategy is to relocate ocean ship docking berths out of Amsterdam within the next decade, as part of a broader policy to better manage tourism and cut overcrowding, allowing to dock 100 per year starting in 2026.
In addition Amsterdam authorities have already led to plan to suspend new hotel projects and implementing actions to crackdown on tourist’s anti – social beahaviour.
Link
https://www.travelpulse.com/news/river-cruise/amsterdam-river-cruise-cap-overtourism-plan
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