Tourist backlash reaches Amsterdam: British hotspots blocked to save city

Souvenir shops and bicycle hire, as well as fast food outlets boasting ice-creams, waffles and cheese, have now been blocked from opening in the Dutch city. 

Officials say the shutdown is in a bid to stop “mass tourism” ruining Amsterdam’s “magnificent streets”.

It is the latest city to hit back at holidaymakers, with rioters and protesters intimidating tourists in Spain and Italy claiming they are ruining the country.

Mayor of Amsterdam, Kajsa Ollongren, said: “Tourists are very welcome, but we want to avoid mass tourism taking over our magnificent streets, canals and neighbourhoods. 

“I see too many shops that offer more and more the same thing, taking into account only tourists”. 

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She told Dutch newspaper Parool: “The situation requires serious measures.” 

The city, which saw 7.8million visitors last year and boasts 280 tourist businesses, will also see museums of beer, eroticism and cannabis blocked from opening as part of the crackdown. 

Ms Ollongren added: “We want to make sure the city centre remains attractive and liveable for the residents of Amsterdam.”

This is not the first time Amsterdam has attempted to stem the number of holidaymakers visiting the city. 

New hotels have been banned in the old town and private people who want to rent rooms to tourists, including Airbnb, are obliged to notify the council.

A recent wave of angry anti-British tourist sentiment peaked last month when 3,000 angry Spaniards took to the streets of Majorca capital Palma demanding Britons, Germans and tourists from the Nordic countries go home.

Spain saw violent protests as many resorted to anti-tourism slogans and graffiti throughout its tourist hubs. 

In Italy, locals in Venice called to cap the number of travellers allowed to enter the city as it struggles under the pressure from holidaymakers.

Rioters targeted diners at a Majorca marina restaurant in Palma screaming “go home” in August.

Demonstrators also vandalised public spaces with slogans saying ‘tourism kills the city’ and ‘tourists go home’ on the island. 

Yobs defaced the Bilbao tourist board’s headquarters and protesters marched on a Barcelona beach armed with banners and placards to intimidate tourists.

Barcelona and other Spanish regions including San Sebastian and Mallorca saw the worst of the backlash against the mass tourism affecting their local culture, as the country experienced a record 75.6 million tourists just last year.

Additional reporting by Maria Ortega 


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