This is a very tricky issue. On the one hand, I sympathize with the people who live in Amsterdam. They get these massive hordes of tourists, many of whom seem to forget that Amsterdam is a city full of people who call it home, not Disneyland, and basically treat the city like a giant toilet. I can't blame them for wanting less of those assholes in their city.

On the other hand, tourism is extremely important to the local economy, and discouraging tourists from visiting is going to hurt a lot of the people living there. There's a balance that needs to be struck, and it would probably behoove us to do our part and not act like dickheads. We're guests in their city. If you had a guest in your home and they fucked your daughter, killed your goldfish, smoked up the guest room, drank all your liquor, puked all over the floor, and pissed on your rug, I imagine you wouldn't want them coming back either. It would be unfortunate if the people of Amsterdam suffer because of a poorly thought out, emotional reaction to this problem.

lets be honest here though, taxes increasing by €10 per night isnt going to put stag parties or large groups of people off.

True. These guys who are only coming over for a few days for a stag party or whatever probably won't care. Might put off some of the fratboy dudebro types, though. They tend to be cheap bastards. Having to spend an extra €50 might make them think about going to Vegas or Mexico or something instead. Good riddance if you ask me.

I was in the RLD last week. It is the usual every time I go, by 13:00 british guys for the most part lit up like a firecracker. Don;t go at night because it is impossible to get anywhere. Chinese tourists in large groups that are wandering around like blind sheep. I pity the girls working the windows, very small business at peak evening hours and tourists pointing and laughing, most disrespectful. You are right, it has become a huge toilet. People are being told to go to other cities, most of the tourist $ is concentrated in the Dam / RLD area. I live in a large european city and personally I loathe tourists here. Act decent and respectful to the culture people. We do not want to see or clean up your mess.

A while back I stumbled upon an article that suggested that this probably isn't the case. I forget which paper/website it was. Anyway, the gist of it was that the local economy will likely not be impacted as much as many people seem to think, owing to the fact that a large portion of the money spent by tourists ends up in the hands of multinational/foreign corporations (large hotels, airlines) rather than going back into the Dutch economy. If true, I guess it would help explain the actions the city is taking.

Some are also concerned that restaurants/cafés would have to close if tourism declines. At the same time, there are large portions of the city that locals tend to completely avoid due to the nuisance. Me too actually. Having lived here for a while now, I won't go within about a 2km radius of De Wallen if I can help it. On a fairly large team based in Amsterdam, I'm the only one who even lives in Amsterdam. Most of my colleagues (all Dutch) think it's horrible and would never consider living here.

Just figured a perspective from the other side might be useful in the context of this discussion.

In any event, tourism shows no signs of declining yet. The authorities hope it won't but rather that the dudebro/fratboy/nuisance tourist will be replaced by the well heeled, "cultured" tourist who will come for the museums and so on. Personally I think this is unrealistic. Other than the notorious sleaze factor, the city has very little to distinguish itself from myriad other European cities with better weather, superior food and drink (with better service) and more interesting sights to see.

Interesting. I guess that makes sense. A lot of the hotels in Amsterdam are owned by big, non-Dutch corporations. Still, there are a lot of small, locally-run hotels and many of the restaurants and cafes in certain areas cater to tourists. I have to think it wouldn't be a good thing for them if tourism dried up.

It is probably true, though, that they're not going to get a more "high-class" group of tourists. Most people like that will maybe come once, see the Anne Frank house, the art museums and whatever, stay a few days, and never come back. This is partly why I'm so against all this 1012 bullshit. It's unrealistic to think that Amsterdam can differentiate itself without the weed and sex. I guess the price of that is all the shitheel tourists.

Well, at least I'll do my part and be respectful and not contribute to the dickhead out-of-towners problem.

My question is, what is the issue? Other than the De Wallen area, do the degenerate tourists bother other parts of the city? I have family in Las Vegas and they simply avoid the strip. Maybe once or twice a year they may go for dinner or meet a friend who is in town. I always assumed that Amsterdam locals did the same thing with De Wallen.

It seems to me that a big part of the issue is trying to make it affordable for locals to live in the center.
A huge number of the apartments in the grachtengordel were short term, Airbnb rentals. The city is cracking down hard on them, hoping that they are taken over by locals. Wim swears that no Dutch live in the area anymore. The apartment that I rented for the last 15 years is off the market, reserved now for long term rental. Same for most of the Jordan. Prices for the places I stay have doubled in the last two years.
Amsterdam is expensive compared to most cities in Europe. I have adjusted by spending more time in Germany, where I get much nicer rooms, better service, and less vomit on my shoes.
I have to admit that I still prefer Amsterdam, even at a higher price. There are endless thigs to do, even without weed and windows, and I can walk or bike everywhere.
I think the 1012 project will slowly fizzle. Hope so. I'd hate to see the RLD moved to some industrial park like the Germans prefer. The canals would not be as charming without the glow of red lights reflecfcting off them.
I don't think it will ever be affordable to live in the center. The two most expensive streets in Amsterdam are Kaisergracht and Prinsengracht. That has been the case for centuries, and won't change by driving the tourists out. Other cities have tried this, and they usually reverse course over time. Tourists are easy to fuck over, they don't vote, and they don't demand much in the way of expensive services (medical care, pensions, schools...)

Weasel

This is not a new subject, when the euro crashed they were begging for tourists. As a nation the Dutch are way too small and reliant on overseas visitors. The project to clean up the city has had little impact, in fact very few if any commercial successes have emerged. De Wallen will always be there regardless even though it is on the decline in terms of fun. The cost of a weekend will go up and down.