The number of cheese shops in Amsterdam has soared by 80% over the past 10 years and by over 27% nationwide, the national statistics office CBS said on Wednesday.

There are now 605 specialist cheese shops in the Netherlands, compared with 475 10 years ago, the CBS said. That means there is one cheese shop for 28,000 people.

The surge in Amsterdam is due to the tourism boom and development of cheese shops targeting tourists, the CBS said.

Fish is another growth area. The number of specialist fishmongers has risen 35% over the past 10 years, while the number of organic and specialty foreign food shops is up 18%.

At the same time, however, the number of specialist green grocers is down 30% and there are also fewer butchers in the high street.