September 26, 2025, 2:56 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
The citizens of Amsterdam have had enough: Despite measures by the city administration, tourism in the beautiful Dutch capital continues to rise. Shops for locals are being replaced by souvenir stores, authentic bike paths are blocked, and the once-charming streets are crowded with lines of TikTok tourists. For residents, mass tourism in Amsterdam is almost unbearable–now a citizens’ initiative is stepping in and suing the city administration. TRAVELBOOK explains.
Amsterdam is a true tourist magnet and popular worldwide. The city is especially known for its authenticity–a vibrant mix of unique art and culture, a cityscape characterized by canals, alleys, and bicycles, and an unmistakable lifestyle full of openness and coziness. But this is gradually being lost, as a large part of tourism focuses on partying, sex work, and drug use. Although the city has already launched campaigns against this, residents feel too little is being done.
Citizens’ Initiative Launches Petition
The citizens’ initiative “Amsterdam Has a Choice” (“Amsterdam heeft een Keuze”) is a group of Amsterdam activists who came together in 2020. Due to the inadequate measures by the city administration, they feel compelled to take legal action. On their website, Amsterdam residents could participate in a petition to support a lawsuit against mass tourism in Amsterdam. Here, they can also express their concerns: “If we continue like this, Amsterdam will become the second Venice, with few residents and only tourists,” one concerned Amsterdam resident states. As reported by the “Stuttgarter Nachrichten,” the initiative has already raised 50,000 euros to finance lawyers. Together with twelve other citizens’ organizations, they filed a lawsuit against the city administration on Monday, September 22.
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City Council Measures Are Not Enough
As early as 2021, the city took action against mass tourism in Amsterdam and set a limit of 20 million tourists per year. However, the introduced tourist limit was not adhered to, much to the citizens’ frustration: Last year, the number of tourists reached 22.9 million–three percent more than the previous year. In 2025, the numbers are expected to continue rising. For the city, tourists bring in significant revenue, amounting to approximately 10 billion euros annually.
Since 2023, Amsterdam has been charging a tourist tax of 12.5 percent–the highest in Europe. Additionally, there is a daily tax of 14.50 euros for cruise passengers coming into the city. The city council also issued a ban on new hotel constructions. Nevertheless, the citizens’ initiative demands tougher measures, such as an even higher tourist tax: “Amsterdam could use the substantial additional revenue from the increased tourist tax to buy land to address the housing shortage or to clean up the city from street litter, partly caused by mass tourism,” Van Dijk, spokesperson for the citizens’ initiative, told the “Stuttgarter Nachrichten.”