This is an English translation. The original Dutch article is authoritative.
Has the type of tourist changed?
In recent years, the Amsterdam city centre has been deliberately managed towards reducing crowds and nuisance, with a view to liveability. At the same time, voices in the public debate suggest that the number of visitors is increasing. Entrepreneurs in the city centre, however, report fewer customers and falling turnovers. To interpret these practical experiences – and to see whether entrepreneurs themselves draw a link with the measures taken – Ipsos I&O conducted research commissioned by the BCD. In addition, a literature study examined the extent to which the main conclusions from ‘Tourism in the city’ (2021) remain valid based on developments and publications since 2021.
Ipsos I&O conducted the questionnaire survey between 21 January and 4 February 2026. In total, 97 of the 1,500 approached hospitality and retail entrepreneurs in postal code areas 1011 and 1012 participated (6.5% response). In addition, 16 coffeeshop entrepreneurs in the Centrum district participated. The results are indicative and primarily signaling: they provide direction and show a consistent picture, but the margin of uncertainty is larger than usual for this type of research. For hospitality and retail, all entrepreneurs in the target group could participate and the response in terms of company size and sector aligns with the total sector in the city centre. At the same time, it is possible that entrepreneurs who feel more involved with the city centre responded relatively more often; the extent to which this affects the results cannot be determined. For coffeeshops, the numbers are low: the results are not reliable on their own but can be indicatively compared with hospitality and retail.
Entrepreneurs have varying experiences with crowds around their location. 34% find it (very) busy, 38% find it (very) quiet and 28% are in between. Nuisance caused by crowds is experienced as limited by most entrepreneurs: three-quarters experience (virtually) no nuisance from crowds at the business location; 13% say they suffer a lot from it. Also, when looking at the development over the past two years, entrepreneurs more often say that crowds have decreased rather than increased. Half (50%) indicate that crowds have decreased (of which 20% significantly), 12% experience an increase. Regarding nuisance: 33% see a decrease, 48% see no change and 10% see an increase. Explanatory notes reflect that entrepreneurs do not automatically see crowds as a problem: crowds can also mean income. Nuisance, according to entrepreneurs, is more often about other matters, such as litter on the street or traffic congestion.
Entrepreneurs more often see an effect of measures on crowds than on nuisance. 55% say that crowds around the location have decreased due to municipal measures (35% see a significant decrease), 25% see no difference and 6% see an increase. For nuisance, the picture is less positive: 44% say that the nuisance is no different than before. 23% think that measures have led to less nuisance, while 14% actually think they have led to more nuisance.
Fewer customers and turnover decrease The signals the BCD hears from coffeeshops about falling turnovers are also reflected among other entrepreneurs in the city centre. A majority of hospitality and retail entrepreneurs report fewer customers and a falling turnover. 60% indicate that the number of customers has fallen over the past two years. 34% see that average spending per customer has decreased and 29% see a change in the type of customers. For a minority, developments are positive: 9% see higher spending per customer and 5% an increase in the number of customers.
These developments are also visible in the turnover figures reported by entrepreneurs themselves. 66% indicate that turnover has decreased in the past two years. For 25%, turnover fell by 5–20% and for 23% by 20–40%. 17% remained more or less the same and 11% now have more turnover than two years ago.
Entrepreneurs were able to explain their turnover development. Ipsos I&O summarises that turnover decrease, according to entrepreneurs, is mainly due to a decrease in paying visitors. Entrepreneurs also mention policy measures, such as the earlier closing time for hospitality, and additionally rising costs. When turnover increases, entrepreneurs say it is mainly about prices that have been adjusted due to rising costs.
One entrepreneur says: “Too few guests! The city centre is no longer inviting, it looks like a museum where there is no longer room for entrepreneurs and hospitality. Everything is restricted and prohibited. Moreover, it has become far too expensive in the city centre, parking, rents, taxes etc etc.” Another entrepreneur says: “The rules and opening hours worsen the turnover development, there is less tourism; tourists are the most important customers.”
Majority familiar with the policy
A majority of hospitality and retail entrepreneurs are familiar with the measures the municipality has taken in recent years to influence crowds in the city centre. 80% say they know the policy: 40% are well acquainted with it and 41% in broad terms. A fifth (20%) say they know (almost) nothing about the policy. Among coffeeshop entrepreneurs in the Centrum district, familiarity is high: of the 16 coffeeshop entrepreneurs who participated in the study, 14 are familiar with the measures (10 well, 4 in broad terms).
Regarding appreciation, the tone is critical. The majority assesses municipal policy regarding crowds in the city centre as poor (19%) or very poor (42%). 13% are (very) positive and 19% are neutral. Coffeeshop entrepreneurs are also predominantly negative: 13 out of 16 find the policy poor, of which five call it very poor; two find the policy good.
Entrepreneurs who are positive mainly say that managing crowds and nuisance is necessary because they also experience nuisance and support tackling it. Entrepreneurs who are negative frequently mention that too little account is taken of the importance of tourism for their income. They also mention that rules and restrictions (such as opening/closing times) directly translate into fewer guests and less turnover. It is also mentioned that enforcement is lacking or ineffective: according to these entrepreneurs, many things are regulated, but there is too little consistent enforcement, so the policy does not have the desired effect in practice. In open answers, this is made concrete with remarks about worsened accessibility, fewer visitors and passers-by, too little consultation/input and the lack of a clear evaluation of measures. Problems on the street are also mentioned, such as street dealers, where entrepreneurs indicate they experience too little enforcement or police presence.
Expected consequences of the i-criterion and the role of coffeeshops in visit motives Among hospitality and retail entrepreneurs, the future outlook is bleak: 46% are dissatisfied with the number of customers and 51% are dissatisfied with the future of the business (16% are satisfied). Entrepreneurs also indicate what they expect from the i-criterion: 51% expect fewer visitors and 37% expect more nuisance from street trade (22% do not expect that). Ipsos I&O notes that about a quarter of the entrepreneurs cannot answer the questions about the i-criterion well, probably because they are insufficiently familiar with the i-criterion.
Ipsos I&O conducted the study ‘Tourism in the city’ in 2021, with data collection in October and November 2021. At the time, Ipsos I&O concluded that coffeeshops are not the primary reason for tourists to visit. Recent figures from the Tourism Day Visit Survey (O&S Amsterdam; 2025) show that foreign day visitors mainly come for walking (51%) and visiting museums (21%). 3% mention coffeeshops as the most important reason. Note: the day visit survey concerns visitors who do not stay overnight in Amsterdam; this is not directly comparable with the 2021 study, which looked at all foreign visitors.
A portion of the tourists visiting coffeeshops indicated in ‘Tourism in the city’ (2021) that they would expect to continue visiting Amsterdam if an i-criterion were introduced, but would then obtain weed or hashish in a different way. They mentioned buying on the street (17%) or having others purchase it for them (13%). Based on the literature study, it seems this has not been asked of tourists again since then. However, the street dealing factsheet from the City of Amsterdam shows that the number of street dealing incidents increased in 2023–2024 compared to 2021–2022. Between 2023 and 2024, however, the number of street dealing incidents in the Centrum district decreased again from 983 to 794. This shows that street dealing is a real problem with an erratic course (the studied literature provides no explanation for these fluctuations). A prerequisite for tourists to be able to buy on the street – the presence of street dealers – is therefore present in any case. The study by I&O from 2021 showed that among residents (46%), the expectation also exists that the introduction of the i-criterion could lead to more nuisance from drug dealers on the street, precisely because tourists will then "look elsewhere" for their drugs.
Different type of tourist or fewer visitors Based on the literature study, Ipsos I&O concludes that coffeeshops are likely still not the primary visit reason for tourists. It should be noted that the studies published since 2021 are not directly comparable to ‘Tourism in the city’ (2021), but broadly show the same picture. At the same time, the entrepreneur survey shows that turnover figures for city centre entrepreneurs have fallen and that many hospitality and retail entrepreneurs report fewer customers. The BCD notes that policies have been implemented and campaigns launched in recent years that were (partly) aimed at discouraging the arrival of certain visitors. The question then is whether a different type of tourist is currently coming to Amsterdam or if there are actually fewer visitors? And if visitor numbers have not decreased, it is relevant to know where they are going: are they moving to other parts of the city, or are they still coming but spending in other places, or are they staying away entirely?