Tourists VS. Locals, who will triumph? (ASSESSMENT)

A current issue faced by the Netherlands capital city of Amsterdam heavily relates to travel, in fact. In recent news, the topic of over-tourism in Amsterdam has been raised as a prominent struggle suffered by the local community there. 

While locals acknowledge the generous and positive influx of profit which tourists bring to the local businesses, restaurants, and accommodation places as well as the overall success of Amsterdam’s busy and highly popular culture, their tolerance for the supposedly “soaring visitor numbers” is wearing increasingly thin.

As pressure builds between the Dutch community, an unsettling feeling of their home becoming nothing more than a mere “travel playground” starts to arise as a result. The most immediate problem which this poses is an overbearing degree of visitor overload.

This may mean that Amsterdam’s liveability as a city significantly decreases, while the amount and success of Air BnB’s and entertainment attractions only grows to the point of overtaking the city itself. This is obviously an unhelpful and disappointing possible future outcome for Amsterdam as it will drastically change and alter their culture and reputation amongst those who originate from there.

Whilst a global reputation is of utmost importance in today’s modern world of immediate and accessible information, isn’t what those permanently inhabiting the space think of it of a greater importance?

I feel this is an interesting crossroads to be at for Amsterdam’s people as they struggle to take back their city. It shouldn’t be all about attracting and pleasing outsiders, when there are those who have settled within the city and built everyday lives there. The liveability and perspectives of locals should be a prominent concern and priority for Amsterdam.

As for the ever-growing negative attitude towards their excessive tourism, CNN reported that more focus will now be directed to “destination management” rather than “destination promotion.”

Click below to read the full article and additional resources:

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/amsterdam-overtourism/index.html

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/amsterdam-overtourism-travelbird/