The city of Amsterdam (Netherlands) has announced its intention to limit annual river cruise calls to 1,150 vessels as part of a broader tourism management strategy. According to the city’s tourism plan, 1,950 river ship calls were recorded in 2024. Beginning next year, river cruise operators will receive an annual reduction quota calculated from the previous year’s booking data.
The European River Cruise Association (IG RiverCruise), representing operators across the continent, has formed a working group with city authorities to exchange data and perspectives on the issue of overtourism. Association board member and Scylla Group CFO Robbert Verbeek stated that river cruising should be regarded as part of the solution rather than the problem, characterising river operators as providers of managed tourism. He noted that calls to Amsterdam are generally brief, as the city is only one port of call in week-long itineraries.
Verbeek observed that while certain types of tourism, such as cruises and organised coach excursions, can be regulated through scheduling and access controls, others—such as private short-term rentals—are far less manageable. He suggested that city authorities might seek to apply greater oversight to those less regulated sectors as part of a balanced tourism policy.
Figures from the European River Cruise Association indicate that river cruise passengers account for roughly two percent of Amsterdam’s annual visitor numbers, generating an estimated US$257 million in direct spending. The association has expressed willingness to consider measures such as restricting docking to approved time slots, regarding such adjustments as operationally feasible.
The city’s measures also extend to the ocean cruise sector. Amsterdam plans to phase out calls at its central cruise terminal by 2035 and will impose a cap of 100 ocean-going vessels per year from 2026. Both river and ocean ships currently share the same terminal facilities.
Other elements of the city’s tourism strategy include discouraging large bachelor party gatherings, repurposing certain hotels as residential or office space, and encouraging a more even distribution of visitors across the metropolitan area.