(CMR) Amsterdam’s city council has voted to ban cruise ships from docking at the city’s main terminal, a decision officials hope will help curb the number of tourists roaming around the Dutch capital and protect the environment.
“A clear decision has been made by the council that the cruise [terminal] should leave the city. The municipal executive of Amsterdam is now going to work on how to implement it,” Ilana Rooderkerk, leader of the D66 party, which advocated for the ban, told the Associated Press.
For now, the terminal remains open as the city leaders have not given any indication as to when they would officially implement the ban or where the terminal might be relocated to.
“Despite some news reports, we will stay open for business as usual, with cruise ships continuing to call as per the schedule. The current situation has no influence on the already booked calls at our port or even on booked events in the terminal,” said the terminal in a statement on its website.
It further stated that “there is no policy proposal yet, nor has there been mention of any timeline. Cruise Port Amsterdam has taken note of this statement and awaits further information. We believe this may involve investigating a new location. When the response will come, we do not know at this moment.”
The capital of the Netherlands is a popular cruise ship destination visited year-round by both river and oceangoing vessels, Cruise Hive reported. Popular cruise lines that include regular visits to Amsterdam on itineraries include Holland America Line, Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line, P&O Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Costa Cruises, and more.
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