The number of tourists visiting Amsterdam reached new records last year, despite efforts to discourage over-tourism, and they spent more nights in the city’s hotels and holiday lets, new council figures show.

Some 9.4 million tourists spent at least one night in the city, with the number of overnight stays reaching 22.1 million – in line with earlier prognoses – and city officials expect a further rise this year.

In 2021, city officials agreed to limit the number of overnight stays to 20 million and that means more measures are necessary to limit tourist numbers, city tourism chief Sofyan Mbarki told the Parool.

The increase, he said, is part of a global development “which we cannot stop”, he said. “That is why measures against over tourism and the number of stays is necessary.”

The city has already increased tourist taxes to among the highest in the world, plans to slash river cruise traffic, and has introduced a stop on new hotels, although thousands of beds are still at the planning stage.

Measures have also been introduced to reduce the number of holiday lets and bed & breakfasts in the city, with locals who want to rent out their homes limited to 30 days a year. They must also have a city council licence.

On January 1, Amsterdam had 2,294 licenced bed & breakfasts, which are licenced for five years. Last year officials granted 5,156 permits to people who want to rent out their home via websites such as Airbnb. Those licences last for one year.

The city has also been struggling to deal with nuisance tourism, particularly in the city centre, and has been targeting budget visitors in particular.

As well as the “Stay away” campaign, the city has introduced including earlier closing times for brothels and bars, a crackdown on alcohol sales in the red light district, and a ban on smoking cannabis in public. 

In addition to overnight stays, some 15.1 million people had at least one day out in the Dutch capital, of whom some 60% came from elsewhere in the Netherlands, compared with 12.6 million in the last pre-coronavirus year of 2019.