Cruise ships offer a unique vacation experience. They typically follow pre-planned itineraries that include various ports of call along their route. Now, Amsterdam has decided to ban cruise liners to minimise visitor traffic and pollution from the massive boats.
Amsterdam Aims To Be A Cruise-Free City
According to an article by Bloomberg, the Dutch capital’s council agreed on Thursday to limit giant ships. This involves limiting ships from docking in the city and closing its key cruise-ship terminal. The timetable and specifics of implementation will be determined following talks with various stakeholders.
Amsterdam boasts one of Europe’s largest cruise terminals, accommodating hundreds of mega-ships and over 700,000 cruise passengers each year. Other cruise terminals in the nation include Rotterdam and IJmuiden. Amsterdam’s council also brought it to notice that the vessels were incompatible with the city’s sustainable missions. Cruise ships have become a symbol of the problem.
Another important reason for withdrawing cruise ships is to reduce air pollution in Amsterdam. According to 2021 research, one large cruise ship emitted the same amount of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in one day as 30,000 trucks.
Similarly, to safeguard Venice’s historic lagoon from mass tourism, Italy’s government proposed steps in 2021 to prohibit large cruise ships from docking in the lagoon.
Also Read: Love Amsterdam? Utrecht, Netherlands Is Way Cheaper And As Beautiful As Venice of the North
The Popularity Of This City Among Travellers Never Cease
🚤 Have you ever explored Amsterdam by boat?
😍 Check out this list of waterfront bars to visit: https://t.co/ek0BK4i0W7
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— I amsterdam (@Iamsterdam) July 10, 2023
Each month, Amsterdam attracts more than one million tourists, outnumbering its population of slightly over 800,000 people. According to CNN Travel, Amsterdam is expecting to welcome more than 18 million overnight guests. By 2025, that figure might rise to 23 million, with an additional 24 million to 25 million day visits.
However, the city also draws its crowd due to the party city’s reputation. This cruise-ship ban decision comes amid a broader crackdown on the tourist inflow and the feeling of disturbance it brings to Amsterdam, a city known for its red-light district and marijuana-selling coffee shops.
Amsterdam also declared this year that it will prohibit the smoking of marijuana on the streets and adopt additional measures to prevent the use of alcohol in the city’s red-light district, which has long served as the centre of the city’s legal sex trade
According to Bloomberg, the municipal council outlawed outdoor marijuana smoking in the red-light area earlier this year. In March, local officials also launched an online campaign aimed at young British males called “Stay Away” to discourage disruptive tourists away from the city.
What do you think of the decision of Amsterdam as a cruise-free zone?
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