Deputy Mayor Dr. Udo Kock Points To Museum Attractions & Limits On Airbnb
Long known for its hippie culture that brings in backpackers from all over the globe, Amsterdam is now seeking a different kind of visitor to the city.
It’s going upscale.
At a press event to promote a series of events at Amsterdam museums that will be featuring special displays of Rembrandt’s artwork on the 350th anniversary of the artist’s death, Dr. Udo Kock, Amsterdam’s Deputy Mayor for Finance, said the city is going after affluent tourists.
“We’re looking to attract higher-end travelers,” Kock said. “We are known for our museums and it’s things like this Rembrandt celebration that attracts these types of visitors.”
The city is also putting the squeeze on hotel development and cracking down on popular rental properties like Airbnb.
“We have put strict limits on the building of new hotels, and that helps drive up the pricing of accommodations, which in turn brings in a higher-end visitor,” Kock said. “We also have very few Airbnbs and have a very tight policy on Airbnb rentals.
“We definitely want to be attracting more higher-end travelers to Amsterdam.”
It has also been ranked fourth as the most desirable place to live for millennials in 2018 by the apartment finder website Nestpik (it was first last year).
Of course, it’s impossible to change of years of culture overnight, and Amsterdam continues to be a haven for hippies, backpackers and those who hang out in Vondelpark after a few trips – so to speak – to the coffee shops.
The Red Light District, too, isn’t being cast aside. From an economic aspect alone, it’s a huge draw and a reason a lot of people visit Amsterdam, so it brings in important tourist dollars.
But in the near future, you may start to see as many high heels as you do hippies.
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