Sharp drop in foreign tourists visiting Amsterdam

The number of foreign tourists visiting Amsterdam dropped sharply in recent weeks. Several tourism companies and tourist attractions report a decrease in foreign visitors, especially Chinese and Japanese visitors, Het Parool reports.

Gassan Diamonds, one of the large tourist attractions in Amsterdam, expects 80 thousand fewer visitors this year. Currently the number of Japanese visitors is 75 percent lower than at the same time last year and the number of Chinese visitors dropped about 30 percent. "Japanese visitors let themselves be influenced by events in Paris and Brussels", CEO Benno Leeser said to the newspaper. He attributes the drop in Chinese visitors to the fact that obtaining travel documents in the Asian country became more difficult last year. Coster Diamonds reports a 25 percent drop in Chinese visitors.

Over the past eight weeks, the number of visitors to the Keukenhof gardens dropped 6 percent to 1.1 million. Director Bert Siemerink did not notice a particular drop in the number of Asian visitors. Zaanse Schans saw a 3 percent drop in visitors in April and so far in May the number of touring cars rented is down 5 percent. The attraction does not keep track of visitors' origin.

Canal Company director Arjan van der Meer also confirmed a drop in foreign tourists. "The consequences are still hard to judge", he said to Het Parool. "If fear of terrorism is the main reason, it can be resolved. We've seen that in the past. But I do not rule out that the lower attention to city marketing also plays a role."