(CNN) – When international tourists finally return to the historic streets lined with Amsterdam’s canals, one of the city’s main attractions may be off limits.
The mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, proposed a new policy that would ban foreign visitors from accessing the city’s cafes.
There are 166 cannabis coffee shops in Amsterdam, representing almost 30% of the coffee shops in the Netherlands.
In a letter to city councilors on January 8, Halsema proposed the introduction of the “resident criterion” – a policy that only allows local residents to use cafes – with the aim of making tourism in the city more manageable and controlling the supply chain. of cafes.
Halsema will discuss the measures with the Amsterdam city council later this month.
In line with Covid-19’s blocking measures, non-essential stores, including coffee shops, are currently closed in Amsterdam, although coffee shops can deliver and deliver.
Cannabis in the Netherlands
Talks about restricting access to Amsterdam’s cafes are not new.
Jasper Juinen / Getty Images / File
Different municipalities in the Netherlands have different rules for cafes, and discussions about banning everyone except Dutch residents are not new.
Today, that rule still exists in Maastricht, in the south of the country.
To add to the somewhat confusing setting, buying cannabis at a coffee shop is legal in the Netherlands, but cannabis production remains illegal.
In July 2019, Halsema wrote to city councilors saying that city cafes can put “quality of life in the city center under pressure”.
In this survey, referenced in Halsema’s most recent correspondence, more than half of respondents said they chose to visit the Dutch capital because they wanted to try cannabis coffee.
The results were that 34% indicated that they would come to Amsterdam less often if they could not visit the cafes, and 11% said that they would not come.
The survey also looked at whether adding an entrance fee for visits to the Wallen / Singel areas – the center of the medieval city that makes up the Red Light District – would reduce the number of tourists.
But the report suggests that the city’s cafes have a stronger appeal to international tourists than the Red Light District.
Only 1% of respondents mentioned prostitution in a window as the main reason for their visit, while 72% said they visited a coffee shop during their stay in Amsterdam.
Concerns about the drug trade
In his recent letter, Falsema also mentioned concerns about the city’s coffee supply chain.
The police, she added, are concerned about links to the heavy drug trade.
The January 8 letter sets out three steps to move forward with a new policy – focusing on local regulation of the cannabis market by creating a coffee shop brand in Amsterdam, limiting the ability of coffee shops to become chains and preventing visitors from outside the Netherlands to enter cafeterias.
Falsema notes that a side effect of these new measures could be a shift towards the illegal cannabis market, but she hopes it will be temporary.
Amsterdam’s continued appeal
Walking and cycling through the city of Amsterdam remains one of the main attractions for visitors.
Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images
Although the Amsterdam 2019 tourist survey suggested that cafés have a strong appeal to visitors, respondents said the most common reason to visit Amsterdam is not the cafes, the Red Light District or even the city’s museums and cultural attractions.
Instead, visitors defended the rather healthy appeal of walking or cycling through the city.
“I don’t think the ban on cannabis would decimate tourism,” said Claydon. “The city is also known for its culture and brilliant aesthetics.”