Amsterdam bans cruise ships to restrict tourists
Centre-right party D66 said cruises are not compatible with its sustainability ambitions.
Amsterdam has banned cruise ships from the centre of the city as part of efforts to limit tourism and cut pollution.
It comes after the Dutch capital launched a “Stay Away” campaign in March in a bid to deter people intending to visit and engage in rowdy behaviour.
The initiative is targeted at young British men, alerting them to the negative consequences of their actions on locals as well as potential punishments.
Centre-right party D66 said cruises are incompatible with its sustainability ambitions.
Its proposal to shut Amsterdam’s cruise ship terminal east of its main railway station was adopted by a large majority of the city’s council, it added.
D66 runs the city with social democrats PvdA and GroenLinks environmentalists.
It said Amsterdam must reduce the number of tourists – with removing passengers from cruise ships one way of doing it.
The party said the proposed building of a new bridge over the River IJ is impossible if cruise ships remain.