Assessor Blessed December 1 will come with measures to combat crowding in the city center, plans that, according to him, can also “hurt”. So says the commissioner Economic affairs and city center approach Friday night in the AT5 Park policy. But this too is necessary, according to him. “If we love the city, we can’t ignore what’s happening right now. It’s time to give the city center back to the people of Amsterdam.”
Mbarki (PvdA) is currently working on its city center projects. Measures will be announced on 1 December that should reduce the inconvenience caused by tourists in particular. “We have long noticed that in certain places in the city center it is too crowded at certain times,” says Mbarki of the need for the measures.
After a significant drop in the crown, the tourist flow is now back in full swing and over 20 million visitors are expected by 2024. Mbarki: “I’m not surprised, Amsterdam has always been very popular and will remain so. You can see it is picking up again. faster than you would expect. “
According to the commissioner, the package of measures should restore balance in the city center. “The city center belongs to all of us, whether you are a resident or an entrepreneur. You have to look very carefully at who bears the burdens and who gets the benefits. This balance is a bit off-balance. We need to balance it more. A beautiful city. and it will always receive tourists. If we love the city, then we cannot ignore what is happening right now. “
As for Mbarki, Amsterdam will keep its open character. “The more beautiful we make the city with the measures, the more interesting it becomes for new visitors. We don’t want to build a fence around the city.”
City tax
One button that the municipality could turn is to increase the tourist tax. Mbarki doesn’t want to say if college will do that too. “The package of 1 December contains a series of measures”.
The councilor also acknowledges that Amsterdam cannot solve problems alone. “We don’t have to take the measures just as a city, but see them in the light of the region. We don’t push a single button, they are a series of measures that will follow one another”.
Mbarki is also currently writing a vision for the city center. “Ten years from now, we also want to have a city center that is accessible to all of Amsterdam’s inhabitants and that they can enjoy. If we know which direction we want to go, the measures are even more effective. We also need to recognize that this will not happen either today or today. tomorrow. is organized. “
So we’ll know more in seven weeks. Mbarki: “We have to look ten years ahead, start holding ourselves well, because measures can hurt.”
Watch the Park Politics broadcast below, which also discusses plans to guide small and medium-sized entrepreneurs through the crisis and ideas for improving the prestige and position of MBO students.
