Rise of TikTok-driven tourism strains locals in Amsterdam’s Negen Straatjes
The rise of TikTok-driven tourism and the city’s limited ability to control its effects are reshaping daily life in the Negen Straatjes, a shopping quarter, in Amsterdam, according to research by the University of Amsterdam.
According to Het Parool, what was once a seasonal influx tied to holidays such as Easter has become a year-round flow of visitors guided by social media. Researchers say this shift is placing sustained pressure on residents, businesses, and public space in the historic district.
Earlier this year, residents attempted to reclaim part of their neighborhood by placing tables and chairs on a bridge during freezing conditions and handing out flyers. The effort briefly turned the bridge into a meeting place instead of a passageway for visitors heading to viral businesses. At the same time, a line formed nearby for Chun Café, a TikTok hotspot. “The distance between residents and these visitors is really enormous,” doctoral researcher Marije Peute told Het Parool.
Peute said the municipality underestimates how attached residents are to the neighborhood. “It’s about the broader ecosystem. Shops that reinforce each other, residents who use the street as living space, and also Amsterdammers who come here specifically for one product. Dominance of one type of use displaces the rest,” she said.
Petute and urban geography professor Justus Uitermark began studying TikTok’s impact in 2022 as the platform gained influence. They focused on the Negen Straatjes because its location in the grachtengordel—already a major attraction—makes it especially vulnerable. As a result, a small number of businesses, including Fabel Friet, Chun Café, Maijard Smashburgers, and ’t Pareltje, have become highly visible and attract large crowds.
“What you see in the city in terms of lines is the outcome of an algorithm,” Uitermark said. “And it naturally doesn’t think about Amsterdam for a moment. It is concerned with entirely different things, but it has a giant impact on our streetscape.”
The effects are unpredictable. Locations can become overcrowded quickly, even outside the traditional tourist season, and just as rapidly lose attention. This volatility reportedly makes it difficult for the municipality to intervene effectively.
For businesses—especially those without viral exposure—the consequences are reportedly significant. Visitors increasingly enter shops to take photos or videos, sample products, and leave without buying anything. As a result, shops risk becoming backdrops rather than destinations.
The shift is changing both retail and public spaces. Some businesses have introduced limits on the number of customers inside or banned outside food. Public behavior has also reportedly shifted. Visitors sit on terraces with food bought elsewhere, and cycling through the already narrow streets has become more difficult due to inattentive crowds.
Uitermark described the situation as a clash between TikTok-driven mass consumption and the area’s traditional model of small, specialized shops focused on service and craftsmanship.
The municipality attempted to regulate crowds at Fabel Friet by limiting queue lengths, but a court overturned the measure. Researchers argue that the city center's public space usage should be the focus of solutions, including a reconsideration of takeaway food permits.
“If you turn the street into a consumption space, the government has to take a position on that,” Uitermark said. “I’m not necessarily against a ban on takeaway fries, but it’s something you can think about.”
The researchers say the situation requires clearer policy decisions. Authorities must determine not only how to accommodate new, popular businesses but also how to protect existing, locally rooted shops and the residential function of the area, which may involve implementing regulations that balance commercial interests with community needs. “This is a major problem that affects many Amsterdammers,” Uitermark said. “You would want the government to act with more urgency.”
