Amsterdam to cap river cruise calls
The city of Amsterdam 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.
Amsterdam aims to limit river cruise calls at 1,150 per year.
Likely phasing in reductions, there will be a river ship quota starting next year, with the exact number still being discussed.
The European River Cruise Association, representing river cruise lines, formed a task force in cooperation with city officials to work on a workable solution.
“River cruising could be a solution and is not part of the problem,” said Robert Verbeek, an association board member.
River cruise visitation represents about 2% of the total visitation to Amsterdam, fuelling about $257 million in direct tourism, the European River Cruise Association says.
The city wants to reduce the number of visitors arriving via river by around 250,000 by 2028.
The association hopes to agree a compromise solution with Amsterdam.
This could mean docking in the city during set time periods, Verbeek said.
“We can perfectly manage that.”
It follows Amsterdam’s tentative plans to cut down on ocean cruise ships too.
It plans to relocated ocean ship docking berths out of the city within the next decade.
It is part of a broader policy to better manage tourism and cut overcrowding.
This has already led to plans to suspend new hotel projects and cracking down on tourists’ anti-social behaviour.
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