Officials in Amsterdam are standing firm on their plan to cap the number of river cruise calls at 1,150 ships per year.
The popular European destination had 1,950 river ship calls last year after hosting about 2,300 ships in 2023. Looking ahead, Travel Weekly reports that river cruise lines will receive an annual reduction quota for 2026, based on 2025 bookings.
According to the European River Cruise Association, river cruise passengers make up only 2 percent of annual visitors to Amsterdam and generate approximately $257 million in direct spending.
The group is currently working with city officials to share thoughts and develop solutions to overtourism concerns.
“River cruising could be a solution and is not part of the problem,” association board member and group CFO of river cruise operator Scylla, Robbert Verbeek, told Travel Weekly, calling river cruise tourism “temporary and also manageable” since stops are typically brief.
The hope among industry leaders is to reach an agreement with the city to dock river cruise ships only during approved periods.
River cruises aren’t the only travel companies being targeted by Amsterdam’s crackdown on overtourism. The city is reducing the number of ocean cruise ships allowed to dock to 100 per year starting in 2026 and seeks to phase out cruising at its city center cruise terminal within the next decade.
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