Amsterdam’s Last Floating Florist Just Closed, Denouncing Overtourism

Saarlos told Dutch newspaper De Trouw, “I have had enough of all the tourists who ruin my trade. If they are here with a group, I can no longer see my own customers.” Indeed, Amsterdam fields a massive number of tourists, and that number is increasing each year. An estimated 18.5 million people will visit the city this year, and by 2025, 23 million yearly tourists are projected.

Saarlos blames not only tourists, but also Amsterdam’s central borough council for failing to enforce the rule stating that only 25 percent of any stall can be used to sell non-plant related products. He also blames the increasing number of budget flights that make it easier for tourists to descend on his city in unsustainable numbers. “Those cheap flights flood the whole of Europe,” he said. “All day long the florist has to shout what I’ve written on the signs: ‘Do not photograph!’”

Amsterdam has been dealing with an overtourism problem for some time and is slowly taking measures to reduce the disturbance that too many visitors to the city creates. In December 2018, the city removed the “I amsterdam’ sign from Museum Square, and last March, the city banned guided tours of the red-light district. Previous measures include introducing tougher regulations on Airbnb, implementing a seven percent tourist tax, and restricting development of new hotels and tourist-centric shops.

H/T: The Guardian