Amsterdam is considering a ban on large cruise ships by 2035 as part of a wider effort to curb overtourism, reduce pollution and reshape the city's waterfront.
oneThe City of Amsterdam is looking for an alternative to mooring large cruise ships in the city centre, and the main option now on the table is a simple one: Complete ban on large cruise ships by 2035.
The city, which receives 20 million visitors a year – far outnumbering its own population of less than 1 million – has long looked for ways to curb the growth in visitor numbers; it's even been named Fodor's No List By 2023, the city has invested New hotel construction restrictions and ended Efforts to promote tourism. Of particular concern are so-called “single” tourists, who come from the UK and Dutch neighborhoods around Amsterdam to drink and cause a general nuisance in the city's red light district.
For large cruise ships, the trouble is of a different kind: pollution. The city has tried to move large cruise ships out of the city center due to pollution concerns, and the dock's current location would hinder the construction of a planned bridge over the IJ River.
In July, activists from the environmental group Extinction Rebellion prevented from arriving 2,850 passengers in total celebrity eclipse Use an inflatable canoe. Activists said they selected the ship because of its performance in international environmental assessments. After a two-hour delay and intervention by port officials, the ship docked and five activists were arrested by police.
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The city estimates that the loss of large cruise ships will cost €46 million over the next three decades and that a replacement cruise terminal outside the city center will cost more than €85 million, with no guarantee that revenue will ultimately justify its construction.
The current city government has said it will not vote on whether to ban large cruise ships or relocate the cruise terminal until local elections are held on March 18, leaving the final decision to the next city government to issue a final decision, effectively leaving the fate of large cruise ships to the city's voters. City Council decides on 2024 Limit arrivals of large cruise ships By this year, the annual number will be reduced to less than 100.
The proposed ban would not affect river cruise ships, which receive heavy traffic. Amsterdam has long been a popular stopover port for European river cruises.
local party leader rob hovland Tell dutch times A proposal to ban large cruise ships would benefit the city, “Years after we made the proposal, we are finally going to free Amsterdam from these floating apartment buildings. They pollute our air, are bad for the climate, bring hordes of tourists into our city and block a bridge on the IJ. The city councilors have shown that relocating the cruise ship terminal within Amsterdam is impossible. There is only one option left: leaving the city. In our opinion, this is the right choice.”
Amsterdam's ban on large cruise ships will not completely ban cruise ship tourists from the Netherlands. Large ocean cruise ships also call at Rotterdam – Europe's largest seaport – about an hour by rail from Amsterdam. Smaller ocean-going vessels also occasionally call at The Hague.
European governments are grappling with how to stem the tide of cruise passengers. Greece Considered Cruise Passenger Taxwhile Barcelona – Europe’s busiest cruise port – has been Close terminal Aim to reduce daily cruise passenger arrivals by the end of the century.
The Netherlands is Europe's top tourist destination, driven largely by interest in Amsterdam, which ranks seventhth It will become the most popular tourist destination in the world by 2025. The number of tourist arrivals will exceed 2019 levels in 2023 and increase again in 2024. Full-year tourism statistics for 2025 are yet to be released, but forecasts point to another year of growth.
Several cruise lines, including Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, Seabourn Cruise Lines, Viking Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Virgin Voyage Cruises and Bonn Cruises, plan to dock at the city's cruise terminal in summer 2026.
