Visiting Amsterdam Now Finds a City at a Crossroads: Travel Guide

It’s pre-dawn on a flight to Amsterdam, and a group of men on a bachelor party are pounding beers, dressed in costumes as Bavarian barmaids and talking loudly about visiting the red-light district without their partners knowing. This isn’t the vision of Amsterdam that city officials want.

During the pandemic, Amsterdam was able to see what the city looked like without tourists of this ilk, and it doesn’t want to go back. Some city officials have proposed a “discouragement” ad campaign for international visitors with plans to “go wild” in the city. Other ideas: earlier closing times for bars and clubs; an extended ban on group tours; further Airbnb restrictions as well as a tightening of river cruises, sea cruise ships and budget flights; and marijuana smoke-free zones, linked to an existing alcohol ban in the city center. They still want tourists, but for the culture, not just the cannabis coffee shops.