The government of Amsterdam prohibited the entry of cruise ships in the center of the city in a measure taken while the capital of the Netherlands tries to limit the number of visitors and curb pollution.
Politicians said the ships are not in line with the sustainability ambitions of the popular northern European city.
The ban translates into the closure of the central cruise terminal on the IJ River, near Amsterdam Central Train Station.
This is the latest measure to curb mass tourism in the city of canals. Cruise ships have become a symbol of the problem, with more than 100 moorings each year.
A council of local authorities has been trying to clean up the city, which includes banning the use of cannabis on the streets of the red light district.
In March, the city also launched an online campaign urging young Britons considering stag or hen parties in Amsterdam to go elsewhere.
“Plague of locusts”
Amsterdam has become a victim of its own popularity. Every year 20 million tourists visit it.some drawn by its reputation as a party town.
“Cruise ships in the city center don’t fit into Amsterdam’s plan to reduce tourist numbers,” said Ilana Rooderkerk of the liberal D66 party, which rules the city along with Labor and environmentalists.
Rooderkerk recently compared cruise ship tourists to a kind of “plague of locusts” that suddenly descended on the city.
Other Amsterdam officials have balked at that kind of language.
But the city’s mayor, Femke Halsema, complained last year that cruise ship tourists are left loose for a couple of hours, eat at international chains and don’t have time to visit a museum.
The other key reason to withdraw the cruise ships is to reduce air pollution levels in Amsterdam.
A 2021 study of a large cruise ship found that it produced the same levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in one day as 30,000 trucks.
Other mooring sites away from the city center have been under consideration for a while, but no decision has yet been made.
On the other hand, Amsterdam has announced plans to strengthen nightlife culture for young people.
The city has outlined its goal of finding night spots, such as tunnels and disused garages, to develop the talent of “creative young people who want to organize something at night.”
BBC Mundo
