The downtown area of Amsterdam remains open to cruise ships. But for how long is unclear.
Days after leaders in the Dutch city voted to relocate the cruise
terminal, citing air pollution and overtourism, Cruise Port Amsterdam
issued a statement saying that ships will continue to call at the
downtown port "as usual" while the city considers next steps.
Relocating the cruise terminal would effectively ban cruises from
downtown Amsterdam, where passengers have long enjoyed being a short
walk away from the city centre.
The political party D66 said a "large majority" of the city council
adopted its proposal in late July to do away with the terminal, also
citing the need to build a new bridge to its rapidly growing northern
borough, which is currently not possible due to cruise traffic.
What happens next is uncertain. CLIA has been in talks with Amsterdam
about a potential terminal relocation since 2016, the organization
said. A CLIA spokeswoman said it is working with local authorities to
address the city leaders' issues, such as efforts to reduce emissions
and overtourism.
But CLIA also said that cruise traffic in Amsterdam has fallen by 58%
over the last five years. This year, 114 ships are expected to call
there, down from a high of 180 ships in 2018. The director of Cruise
Port Amsterdam, which operates the terminal, told the Associated Press
the terminal expects 130 ships next year.
CLIA also contends that cruise passengers make up 1% of Amsterdam's 21 million annual visitors.
The cruise terminal vote is Amsterdam's latest salvo against what it
says are too many visitors. The city council this year launched a "Stay
Away" campaign discouraging nuisance tourists aimed at British men
between 18 and 35 years old and bachelor parties.
Meanwhile, Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport plans to cut flight operations down from 500,000 flights annually to 460,000.
The city is among several that have pushed back against cruising in
recent years, often citing overtourism and environmental impact.
In 2021, authorities in Venice approved a ban on cruise ships in the city centre after a years-long campaign.
Earlier this year, the city council in Monterey Bay, Calif., voted to
terminate passenger landing services for cruise ships, forcing cruise
lines to foot the bill for city services to process disembarking
passengers.
Source: Travel Weekly