Thread by @TimeOutLondon

Four things we can learn from the Dutch capital to make the rest of the world a nicer place 🇳🇱

timeout.com/news/how-amste…

Last March, lockdown set in and tourism was put on pause in Amsterdam.

For the first time in forever, there weren’t tens of thousands of travellers gawping at girls, lighting up in coffeeshops, ordering poffertjes and stroopwafel on every corner.

Amsterdam breathed

Now it wants to carry on breathing.

The Dutch capital has brought in a raft of measures to improve life for locals and create a more sustainable future for the city.

Here are some initiatives we’d like to see in other cities too 👇

🏨 Ban new hotels

Have you heard about the new ‘iceberg hotel’ in London’s Leicester Square? It’s got a six-storey basement. This sort of gimmick wouldn't land in Amsterdam now. The city has banned new hotels in the centre altogether, encouraging development on the outskirts

🚫 Ban short-term holiday lets

Until last July, thousands of travellers stayed in the red-light district every year, exacerbating housing problems as real estate was given over to short-term holiday lets. Now, Amsterdam has banned them outright in three central districts

🍬 Ban souvenir shops

Souvenir shops may seem innocent. But there comes a point when there are too many. For three years, Amsterdam has banned new tourist-oriented businesses from opening within its Canal Belt. That includes sweet stores, souvenir shops and ice-cream parlours

🌿 Ban arseholes

Let’s be honest: the worst thing about central Amsterdam is the number of mashed idiots stumbling from Irish pub to coffeeshop. The city is considering barring foreigners from its cannabis-peddling haunts. In future, Amsterdam wants a different kind of tourist