Monday, January 27, 2025 The streets of Amsterdam have become a battleground as furious residents take to the Leidseplein, voicing their outrage over the unrelenting flood of tourists that has rendered their city nearly uninhabitable. What once was a charming canal city is now at the epicenter of Europe’s overtourism crisis, and locals are saying enough is enough. At the heart of the controversy stands the newly built Diamond hotel, an eyesore to many locals and a magnet for tourists.
Once home to the iconic Heineken Hoek, a beloved corner landmark, the site now boasts a contemporary facade that has drawn widespread disdain. Protest organizer Dingeman Coumou called it a “horrible hotel” that epitomizes the problems plaguing Amsterdam: overcrowding, skyrocketing property prices, and an unrecognizable city center. Amsterdam welcomed a staggering 22 million overnight stays in 2023, exceeding its proposed limit of 20 million.
From the famed tulip gardens to the infamous Red Light District, the city’s attractions continue to draw millions, despite escalating tensions between locals and visitors. Protesters claim that the deluge of tourists has made life unbearable, driving up housing prices, displacing residents, and transforming neighborhoods into tourist playgrounds. Dingeman Coumou warns, “Our children can no longer afford to live here.
The center is becoming unliveable.” Amsterdam’s government has introduced a series of dramatic measures aimed at curbing the chao.
