A Japanese convenience store in the northern foothills of Mount Fuji has turned into an unlikely tourist attraction in recent years thanks to a popular viewpoint of the iconic volcano.
18.04.2024 - 18:49 / skift.com / Dawit Habtemariam
Amsterdam has banned new hotel developments to combat mass tourism, the municipal government announced Wednesday.
“Amsterdam will no longer be issuing permits for new hotels, except for a ‘new-for-old arrangement’ in which a new hotel may only be built if a hotel elsewhere closes and the number of sleeping places [beds] does not increase,” said a spokesperson for the government.
The replacement hotel must be “qualitatively” better, such as more sustainable, and be at least 4 stars under the European Hotel Classification system. The government is also encouraging new hotels build outside the city center, said the spokesperson.
Amsterdam has over 470 hotels and 49,000 rooms, according to Costar.
The aim of the hotel-cap policy is to limit annual overnight stays in Amsterdam to 20 million. In 2023, Amsterdam had 20,665,000 hotel night stays, according to the city government.
“We want to make and keep the city livable for residents and visitors. This means: no overtourism, no new hotels, and no more than 20 million hotel nights by tourists per year,” the government said in its announcement.
Amsterdam is one of the world’s most popular destinations. The city globally ranked fifth in terms of international traveler spending with $13.6 billion in 2022, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.
The new hotel cap is even more restrictive than its “no-unless” policy. Starting in 2017, the city limited the zones where new hotels could be introduced to certain areas.
To build new hotels in those areas, hotel developers needed to demonstrate they’ve taken into account the interests of the local neighborhood, that the new property will be sustainable, along with other requirements.
Only three hotel plans have met the “no-unless” policy, causing a slowdown in the pipeline. “The pipeline of current initiatives is now becoming empty, although 26 initiatives are still on the books with granted permits,” said a city government spokesperson.
In 2024, four new hotels are scheduled to open and 5 hotels are under construction, according to Costar.
The new hotel restriction is Amsterdam’s latest move to discourage mass tourism. This year, the city raised its tourist tax from 7% to 12.5%.
Amsterdam has also been trying to deter party and drug tourists from traveling to its popular Red Light District. This year, the government launched a second version of its ‘Stay Away’ marketing campaign in the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy.
A Japanese convenience store in the northern foothills of Mount Fuji has turned into an unlikely tourist attraction in recent years thanks to a popular viewpoint of the iconic volcano.
Delta Air Lines will return to Amsterdam with daily flights from Tampa this fall, allowing Floridians the chance to satisfy their cravings for stroopwafels and Gouda cheese.
Saudi Arabia is projected to have 320,000 new hotel rooms by 2030 as the Kingdom ramps up efforts to accommodate an annual influx of 150mn tourists, both domestic and international, according to a report by global property consultancy Knight Frank. This massive expansion of the hospitality sector is central to achieving Saudi Arabia’s goal of increasing the travel and tourism industry’s contribution to the economy from nearly 6% to 10% by the end of this decade, the report stated.
For centuries, dogs have been bred to work and perform specific tasks. For example, Pembroke Welsh corgis often work as herding dogs and were "once invaluable to farmers in Wales," according to the American Kennel Club.
JetBlue's latest in-flight entertainment updates can involve your whole travel crew.
Amsterdam is banning the construction of new hotel buildings in its latest move to curb overtourism.
In a bid to tackle overtourism and ensure the city’s livability, Amsterdam officials have announced a bold new policy banning the building of new hotels in the bustling Dutch capital, The Washington Post reported.
In an effort to battle overtourism, Amsterdam continues to make some big changes.
Saudi Arabia is pushing tourism.
Thousands of people protested in Tenerife on Saturday calling for the Spanish island to temporarily limit tourist arrivals.
According to the city’s statistics bureau, more than 18 million people visited Amsterdam last year, making it one of the world’s most popular vacation destinations.
The city of Amsterdam will ban nearly all new hotels and restrict the number of tourists who can stay overnight each year in its latest effort to combat overtourism.