Bachelor Party Nieuwmarkt

Tourism Amsterdam

Why are some Amsterdammers starting to dislike tourists?

Tourism to Amsterdam has doubled in the last five years and is expected to grow to 23 million in 2025. There are 800,000 thousand people living in Amsterdam of which only 86,000 in the centre. Amsterdam has since the middle ages always been very open to people from outside because of trade relations. However, this enormous growth of tourism in the last few years has caused some side effects: the centre is getting more crowded. Opinion articles have criticised the policies to stimulate tourism and policy plans have been made to spread tourism over a wider area. No new hotel permits are given for the centre and renting out your house is highly regulated. What is irritating the Amsterdammers – next to a crowded centre?

1. Rental bikes, beer bikes and bike taxi’s – Tourism Amsterdam

Cycling is famous in the Netherlands. The roads are designed for it and the country is flat. This makes it easy and fast to get from A to B. The Dutch are the fastest cyclist in the world. Most Dutch learn how to cycle from the age they can walk. When leaving for a destination the Dutch tend to go away from home right in time. On these moments it frustrates the Dutch when there are ten tourists on their obvious all green or yellow rental bikes blocking the road. More annoying are the beer bikes. On sunny days starting in May these beer bikes appear from everywhere. 12 drunk guys cycling, singing and spitting on the streets while cyclist behind it can’t cross the slow moving ‘vehicle’. Bike taxi’s take a lot of space too, and when they have clients they behave as king of the roads. Tip: hire a normal looking bike in Amsterdam so people do not see immediately that you are a tourist. Cycle on the right side and on the cycle paths. These paths are mostly paved red. 

Tourism Amsterdam - Rental bikes

2. Bachelor parties – Tourism Amsterdam

Mostly British love Amsterdam as a bachelor party destination. It is fun! What’s better than a destination where they tolerate drugs & prostitution? For this reason the red light district is overcrowded and full with weird and drunk looking British. Not so bad, true, but screaming on the streets at 6 AM is not appreciated by the Dutch. More over, lots of people drawn every year in the canals. People say that most of them are drunk bachelor party celebrators releaving themselves into one of the canals. Tip: avoid the expensive fine of peeing into the canals and go to a public toilet. 

Bachelor Party Nieuwmarkt

Bachelor Party Nieuwmarkt

3. Anne Frank House queues – Tourism Amsterdam

The Anne Frank House is a must see. But to wait 5 hours for it? The queues are insane and lots of people take pictures from the queues because it is so ridiculous. Trust us, it’s really not worth waiting for 5 hours to get in. Tip: Enter without waiting. Buy an online ticket which designates you to a time slot. Do this a few weeks in advance of your holiday to Amsterdam.

Tourism Amsterdam - Queues Anne Frank House

Queue for the Anne Frank House on a normal day

4. Ice cream and WAFFLE SHOPS instead of CRAFTSMen – Tourism Amsterdam

A lot of craft and speciality shops in the centre are being taken over by ice cream and waffle shops for tourists. The Dutch love ice cream and waffles as well, but it’s a shame that these crafts man are disappearing from the authentic centre. Tip: buy your souvenirs at craft shops.

5. AirBnB nuisance – Tourism Amsterdam

When you’re in Amsterdam you smoke weed, drink alcohol and visit prostitutes. Well, that’s what many tourists think and do.  In a survey 10% of tourists  visiting Amsterdam say the drug tolerating policy is their main reason to come to Amsterdam. And yes, this crowd makes noise. For this reason the municipality has imposed regulations concerning AirBnB bookings. The maximum number of people at a time is four and the maximum residents may rent their houses a year is 60 days. Tip: come to Amsterdam to see the liberal society in so many more aspects in life.

6. Museums that are no museums – Tourism Amsterdam

Red light district museum, prostitution museum, cannabis museum, cheese museum, these aint no real museums. These are just shops where you have to pay to get in. Real tourist traps. Tip: visit real museums. Do some research before going in. 

Cheese museum on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam

Cheese museum on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam

7. Tourists do not take priority in traffic – Tourism Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a capital. Usually in capitals traffic is crazy. Well, in Amsterdam traffic isn’t as crazy as in for example Paris, but when you have priority you should take your right. When you are walking on a pedestrian crossing, cyclists will generally not give you priority unless you take it. Tip: Pedestrians are most vulnerable and have therefore most priority in traffic in the Netherlands. 

Lifelong Amsterdam experience

8. Most tourist only see the CENTRE of Amsterdam – Tourism Amsterdam

When asking tourist what they saw of Amsterdam and the Netherlands they start talking about famous names of coffee shops and the redlight district. But there is so much more to see! Tip: go and see local things. Like the Beer Brewery ‘t IJ in Amsterdam East.

 

LocalLayover.com is here for you to become a traveller instead of a tourist. We’ll tell you how to best enjoy the beautiful city of Amsterdam from a local perspective.

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