Amsterdam Bans Cruise Ships from Docking in City

As part of an effort to curb overtourism and alleviate damage from pollution, government officials in Amsterdam have banned cruise ships from docking in the city center.

According to The Guardian, Amsterdam’s city council said that cruise ships were “incompatible” with the environmental and sustainability goals for the popular tourism destination. Politician Ilana Rooderkerk said Amsterdam would “sail better” without cruise ships.

“The polluting cruise is not in line with Amsterdam’s sustainable ambitions,” Rooderkerk said. “Cruise ships in the city center also do not fit in with the task of combating mass tourism.”

The new ban on cruise ships in the city’s center would result in the closure of the central terminal on the River IJ, but the government is considering plans for an alternate site, with no decision imminent.

In addition, local officials announced plans to build a new bridge between Amsterdam’s historic southern district and the Noord district, but the project would be “impossible” if the massive vessels were still permitted to dock at the central terminal.

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema has previously spoken out about the benefit of cruise ship passengers visiting the city, saying the travelers stay for only a few hours, “eat meals at international brands and had little time to visit museums.”

Mayor Halsema revealed that the city welcomes 22 million tourists every year, despite its relatively small size, but said, “that’s a little bit too much.”

Amsterdam is not the first city to ban cruise ships, as Venice, Italy, announced in 2021 that it worked with UNESCO cultural body to ban large vessels from entering the city center.

Barcelona, Spain, is also curbing the number of cruise ship arrivals, cutting the number of tourists from 400,000 per month to 200,000.