Amsterdam was flooded with tourists in 2023, so it won't allow any more hotels

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Tens of thousands of people watched as dozens of colorfully decorated boats toured the Dutch capital's historic canals Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023, in the most popular event of a six-day Pride Amsterdam festival that attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the city. / AP

Amsterdam's local government is cracking down on local over-tourism by putting a ban on new hotels, it said Wednesday.

New hotels can only be built if another closes down, and the city is urging developers to choose a site outside of the city center.

If a new hotel is built in place of an old one, it must be more modern or more sustainable. Twenty-six hotels that have already been issued permits will not be affected by the ban, the city said.

The move was triggered by Amsterdam's "Tourism in balance" policy, which was created in 2021 after a public initiative in which 30,000 residents called for more control of the tourism industry.

Under "tourism in balance," aims to limit overnight stays in hotels by tourists to 20 million a year. In 2023 tourists spent about 20.7 million nights in Amsterdam, a number that doesn't include vacation rentals, bed and breakfast stays or cruise trips. That means "the municipal executive is obliged to take action," the city says.

Amsterdam also has been attempting to curb other behaviors by tourists, including banning cannabis smoking in certain parts of the city, closing some clubs and bars earlier, placing new limits on canal cruises and converting some hotels into homes or offices.