Amsterdam further restricts tourist stores from city center

The municipality of Amsterdam forbade 165 business owners in the center of Amsterdam to use their stores as a tourist, sex, or smartshop. Owners will also be banned from opening catering establishments in the shops. The municipality wants to prevent the spread of a mono-culture in the city's center.

The affected businesses are all currently empty or serve a function that is permitted under the new policy.

"Due to this policy, the offer for tourists in the area will decrease and make the center more attractive for Amsterdammers. Amsterdam should be first and foremost a city to live in and only secondarily a city to visit," alderman of Economics Victor Everhardt said.

Instead of businesses that attract tourists, businesses that serve a broader audience, such as a book or clothing store, gym, or harisalon will be opened.

The Council of State ruled in 2020 that the municipality is allowed to ban certain shops in the center.

Everhardt said the municipality has also been raising a pot of ten million euros to buy up stores in the center.

"We are taking a step in the right direction," Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema said. A diverse range of shops contributes to an attractive center for residents. We are not there yet, but the municipality perseveres and seizes opportunities when they arise."