Dear tourists: Please go away we don't want you here

First Venice took action against over-sized cruise ships, now Amsterdam is cracking down.

The Dutch city plans to start cutting the number of ships that can stop at its main port terminal over the coming years, its municipal government has said.

Starting from 2026, the number of sea cruise vessels that can stop at the Passengers Terminal Amsterdam will be set at 100 per annum, down from 190 today.

Within a decade, cruise ships will not be allowed to stop at the main terminal, and by 2035 the main terminal for cruise stops will be outside the city, travel news portal Skift reports.

All cruise ships will be required to use shore power by 2027.

This means ships will have to get their electrical power from the shore while docked at the port, cutting the use of onboard diesel engines - a contributor to carbon emissions.

“By limiting sea cruises, requiring shore power, and aiming for the cruise terminal to move from its current location in 2035, the council is responsibly implementing the proposal to stop sea cruises,” said Hester van Buren, an alderman for the municipal government.

Both Venice and Amsterdam have concerns about over-tourism and its impact on the environment.

In Venice, the government has limited the number of cruise ships at its industrial port and is building a smaller terminal outside the city centre.

The cruise cap is the latest policy by Amsterdam to combat over-tourism.

In April, the city banned the construction of new hotels. And earlier this year, it launched a new campaign to discourage nuisance party tourists from visiting the city’s red light district.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Barcelona, Mayor Jaume Collboni, revealed this month that his city plans to ban short-term vacation rentals by 2028.

That plan is in response to rising tourist numbers and ever-increasing rents for locals with a large portion of housing stock having been turned into accommodation for visitors.