Netherlands

Amsterdam Bans Cruise Ships

JUL 21 2023·Updated AUG 27

Story

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Facts

In an effort to curb an unsustainable number of visitors and limit pollution, Amsterdam's city council voted to ban cruise ships from entering its city center ports. Accordingly, the central cruise terminal on the River IJ near Amsterdam's main train station will close.
BBC News
The council, which the center-left party D66 said voted with "a clear majority," will now have to figure out how to implement the ban, including discussions with the managers of the North Sea Canal, the councils of other cities on the canal, and the Dutch government.
CNN
Ilana Rooderkerk, leader of D66, said the 100 ships that dock at the city annually "[do] not match the sustainable ambitions of our city." The city in March also began discouraging young men — particularly from the UK — from traveling to the city for drinks and drugs, dubbing them "nuisance tourists."
Times
The campaign set out to warn men of the "consequences of anti-social behaviour [sic] and excessive drug and alcohol abuse," including fines, arrest, criminal records, hospitalization, and health issues.
RTE.ie
Mayor Femke Halsema complained last year that cruise tourists would visit the city for a few hours but only eat at chain restaurants and have no time to cultural visit sites like museums. Regarding pollution, a study of one ship found that it emitted the same levels of nitrogen oxides in one day as 30K trucks.
BBC News
This comes as the city is planning to ban the use of marijuana on the street and take new steps to discourage alcohol in its red light district — the traditional center of the city’s legal sex trade. The municipality previously announced a ban on tours of the red light district as well as plans to restrict river cruises, convert hotels into offices, and impose curfews on bars.
CNN

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The Spin

Narrative A

If you think banning these giant, floating, carbon-emitting resorts will hurt the Dutch economy, remember that the tourists on board only spend a few hours in the city and don't even visit local venues. They're a waste of precious space, pollute the air, and encourage degenerate behavior that ruins the true culture of Amsterdam. This was the right move for the city and its people.

DutchReview

Narrative B

While locals certainly want to stem the rowdy behavior unleashed by party-goers on a nightly basis, the problem isn't just visiting men, it's large groups of men in general— including Dutch residents. Local venues have and can continue to tackle this issue on their own by simply banning large groups of drunks from entering their establishments. The government doesn't need to step in and criminalize tourism.