Amsterdam is one of the top tourism destinations in Europe, and one of the first countries to sign a unique partnership agreement on home sharing and tourist tax with Airbnb.
Destination Think! interviewed Eduard Pieter Oud, Chief Operating Officer at Amsterdam Marketing, to discuss managing sustainable tourism growth, dealing with the challenges of success and why collaboration is essential.
“For many years, we’ve focused our marketing on the cultural profile of the city. But many visitors are now coming for other reasons. They are welcome, but not if they cause trouble. For example, we don’t market to or focus on stag parties, but they do come to Amsterdam (and cause trouble). The city does not want this sort of visitor, so are opening a new low-cost airport in Lelystad, possibly attracting some of the target groups we do not want, there. But this doesn’t change our approach, however, we still focus on the visitor that doesn’t cause any trouble and try to raise the cultural profile of Amsterdam (and surrounding region).” – said Eduard Pieter Oud.
This is just an extract from the article originally published on Destination Think!. To read the whole interview, visit “Amsterdam’s response to exponential tourism growth and its impact on residents“.
