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News of: Monday, January 05 2015,

Mayor Amsterdam to tourists: why not stay in Utrecht or Haarlem?

The Mayor of Amsterdam has said that the ever increasing stream of tourists is becoming a real problem.

In his New Year's speech he noted that a new balance has to be found between business, tourism and residential functions of the city. Spreading of tourism is one of the possible answers, and he said that tourists could just as well stay in near by towns like Utrecht or Haarlem.
According to the mayor the motto should be: come to Amsterdam, to see the Netherlands.

In the past few years there have been increasing complaints (by Amsterdam residents) about the ever growing tourism. This comes with noise, pollution, houses that become (illegal) hotels, and an ever more crowded inner city. Residents increasingly complain that shops rather cater for tourists than for town residents.

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