Policy paper : Revisiting Amsterdam tourism policy for the benefit of Amsterdammers and and travelling families

Executive summary Amsterdam’s tourism policy and destination marketing strategy risks disadvantageing local residents as well as travelling families and worsening overtourism, especially in the city center where tourism flows are already concentrated. Further restricting STRs will not make more homes available for long term rent nor solve the city’s liveability challenges.  The housing crisis and overtourism stem from broader, structural issues – population growth, limited housing supply, increase in visitor numbers and hotel nights — not STRs. STR through Airbnb account for only around 2% of total overnight stays in the city centre1, a negligible share compared to stays in hotels and other high occupancy rate accommodations — insufficient to justify restrictions on the basis of over tourism, housing or livability.   Overtourism and livability challenges remain concentrated in the city center, where nearly 50% of hotels operate year-round, while only around 20% of primary homes are occasionally rented as short-term rentals – averaging 21 nights in 20242“. Strict STR regulations enacted over the past decade in Amsterdam, such as the 30-night limit  has disproportionately affected local residents renting their own home and their purchasing power3. The 4-people maximum capacity across the city has also limited the ability for families to visit Amsterdam, redirecting them to more expensive accommodation solutions. None of these regulations have improved housing availability or reduced tourism flows. At the same time, the number of hotels continues to increase.   Further limiting the number of nights that residents of Amsterdam can rent out their homes – whether by reducing the number of nights or imposing a ban – will have no impact neither on livability nor on the housing market. Likewise, keeping blanket restrictions at the city level, such as the 4-person maximum capacity rule will not solve the concentration of tourism. Airbnb calls on Amsterdam to separate facts from assumptions and to urgently revisit their tourism policies, starting with the escalation ladder proposal.  If restrictions on tourism accommodations are introduced, they should efficiently and effectively target the root causes of overtourism to ensure a meaningful impact. This includes regulating high-occupancy tourist accommodations — rather than occasionally rented primary homes, which make up a negligible portion of overnight stays — by limiting the number of hotel rooms and dedicated tourist rentals per neighborhood and scrapping the ‘new-for-old’ scheme to encourage converting closing hotels into long-term housing.  To address the growing number of visitors, including the continued rise in day-trippers and hotels, a different approach is mandated to ensure Amsterdam remains a destination for all types of travelers, with affordable accommodation options that allows families of all sizes to enjoy the benefits of STRs. Airbnb proposes a balanced district-level approach based on:  – The acknowledgement of a fact, namely STRs limited market share and impact on liveability vs. hotels and professional touristic accommodations.  – An objective assessment of past and current STR restrictions on the long term housing market, visitor numbers and tourism flows.  – The use of data to inform regulations on touristic accommodations in the city center, while developing incentives to disperse tourism towards less frequented areas. – Evidence-based, neighborhood-level rules that are flexible and targeted. Instead of a further decrease, the current 30 night limit on home sharing in primary residences should be increased, especially in less-visited districts like Zuidoost, Noord, and Nieuw-West 4, while quotas on accommodations dedicated to tourism in the city centre district may be justified.  – The exemption of children from the maximum capacity of four currently in place for primary homes to ensure families of all sizes can enjoy the benefits of STRs and Amsterdam. –Targeted measures that enable STRs to provide temporary housing options for essential workers and students.  – The gradual reduction of hotels by scrapping the ‘old-for-new’ rule to incentivize the conversion of closing hotels into long-term housing.” – A commitment to reinvesting tourist tax revenue into local communities to ensure all Amsterdammers benefit from tourism. – Enhanced collaboration with STR platforms on tourism dispersal.

N.B. Sources utilised in this paper include Oxford Economics data, Eurostat tourism statistics and internal Airbnb data, as well as public sources (e.g. CoStar) – see footnotes for details. 

1. Hotels and daytrippers are the main drivers of overtourism⁵ in the city centre

Tourism is a fundamental pillar of Amsterdam’s economy. In 2024, tourism generated approximately €11,000 per resident⁶, supporting jobs in the hospitality, cultural sectors. At the same time Amsterdam, like other historical cities in Europe, continues to face challenges related to overtourism in the city center. In this regard, Amsterdam residents engaging in small-scale, occasional home sharing have an insignificant impact on Amsterdam’s overall tourism landscape. Nevertheless, local residents renting out their own home have been – and are now again – the unfair target of disproportionately strict STR regulations.  

Over 90% of tourist accommodations in Amsterdam are controlled by mostly large hotel operators, with tourism hotspots and hotels primarily concentrated in the city center. Consequently, the pressure on the city center, especially its crowded inner city center (‘binnenstad’) comes mainly from day-trippers and hotel visitors. 

• There are 6 times more hotel beds (12000 beds) than Airbnb listings (2000 beds) in Amsterdam’s city centre. They are also much more concentrated, with almost half of Amsterdam’s hotels located in central districts, while 4 out of 5 primary homes occasionally shared on Airbnb (over 80%) are located outside of the city centre⁷. 
• Hotels operate year-round while primary homes in Amsterdam can only be rented 30 nights per year. In 2024, hotels accounted for 50X more overnight stays than Airbnb listings in the city centre⁸. This means that primary, entire homes rented occasionally on Airbnb only account for approximately 2% of total overnight stays in the city centre⁹.   
• In 2023, day-trippers numbered 25.4 million, compared to less than 400.000 inbound guest arrivals on Airbnb¹⁰. As such, guests staying in Amsterdam through Airbnb are only accountable for a negligible fraction of the tourism flows.
• The 30 night per year limit for primary homes did not limit tourism growth. Guest nights in the wider accommodation sector grew by 12% from 2019 to 2023, whereas STR guest nights decreased by 52% over the same period. 
• The city of Amsterdam uses nuisances to justify more restrictions on STR.In 2023, stays in STR triggered only 34 official sanctions across the entire city. With over 22 million overnight stays that year, the alleged nuisances caused by STRs is insignificant¹¹.

2. The causes of housing shortages are structural – STRs are not one of them 

STRs have been and continue to be wrongly linked to housing shortages. The city’s housing crisis is mainly driven by factors such as population growth, limited construction, vacant homes and demographic shifts – none of which are significantly influenced by STRs. Setting a 30-night limit for Amsterdammers renting the place where they live has obviously not alleviated – and will never alleviate –  any of these broader issues. A lower limit or a ban will not bring about any change. 

• Listings available for 180 days or more, so-called “dedicated rentals”, such as serviced apartments listed on platforms only account for 0.5% of the total housing stock, and therefore, are unlikely to have a significant impact on housing availability¹².
• Over the period 2022-2024, the production of new homes stalled at just over 18,000 homes, averaging six thousand homes per year, well below the target of 7,500 homes per year¹³. The housing shortage is projected to intensify in the coming years.
• Amsterdam rents have risen by 19.6%¹⁴ and the price per square meter for a home has risen by 58%¹⁵ since 2019 when the 30 night limit was put in place. 

3. Put an end to favoring hotels over residents and families

On 1 January 2019¹⁶ , local residents engaging in short-term rentals have seen their rental nights restricted from 60 to 30 per year with a maximum capacity of four visitors¹⁷. 

While Amsterdam implemented heavy restrictions on primary homes occasionally rented,  driving a 52% decrease in the number of stays from 2019 to 2023, hotels have driven a 12% increase in tourists’ overnight stays over the same period¹⁸ (Oxford Economics, 2024). Restrictions on primary homes occasionally rented haven’t reduced overall tourism, but rather shifted it even more towards hotels which have benefitted from pent up tourist stays in Amsterdam at the expense of local families.

In Amsterdam, Oxford Economics estimates a loss of 269M€ in total host earnings since the implementation of current short term rentals regulations. This is millions of euros that no longer go into the pockets of everyday hosts and small businesses, often to the benefit of large hotel chains¹⁹. 

Guest Nights in Amsterdam in STRs and Wider Accommodation (Oxford Economics, 2024)

In stark contrast to  restrictions impacting primary homes, hotels have navigated looser rules  which allowed them to keep expanding, with an increase of about 7,700 new rooms between 2015 and 2020, representing a 25% rise. In 2024, despite further tightening hotel policy by banning the construction of new hotels citywide, 26 hotel projects that had already secured permits are still allowed to proceed. This discrepancy highlights the lack of a level playing field in the sector.

While this regular increase in local hotel capacity has further fueled local overtourism challenges it also raises the question of whether the space allocated for these projects could have been better utilized to create much-needed housing, moving closer to Amsterdam’s goal of adding 7,500 homes to the market each year. 

In this context, Airbnb strongly urges the city government to reconsider and abolish the proposed “new-for-old” rule, which continues to allow new hotels to open up when old ones close down, despite the severe housing shortage. The city should focus on repurposing these buildings for long-term housing and explore additional ways to incentivize hotel-to-residential conversions. 

Additionally, Amsterdam should further facilitate the conversion of underutilized offices and hotels into much-needed homes. Converting existing buildings is often more cost-effective and sustainable than new construction, but restrictive zoning and rigid regulations create unnecessary barriers. By reforming these policies and encouraging adaptive reuse, the city can expand its housing supply while maintaining a thriving tourism sector and strikes the right balance that benefits both residents and visitors.

4. STR regulations must be evidence-based, proportionate, and non-discriminatory

Airbnb supports the city’s intention to shift towards a more neighborhood-focused approach instead of unfounded citywide restrictions. 

Airbnb supports the city’s intention to shift towards a more neighborhood-focused approach with the possibility of adjusting rules based on demographic and local developments, instead of unfounded citywide restrictions. Airbnb questions however the current rules for STRs, which are not based on facts and which seem disproportionate, potentially conflicting with national and European laws and regulations.According to  the EU Services Directive, the Dutch Housing Act as well as rulings from the Dutch Council of State (2023) and the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), STR rules must be proportionate, evidence-based and non-discriminatory. 

The Dutch CoS has already overturned broad STR bans that were not supported by sufficient data, while the CJEU confirmed that primary home rental does not impact the supply of affordable long-term rental housing, and therefore should not be restricted²⁰. This is consistent with other decisions in EU Member States²¹. 

To align with principles enshrined in applicable law, the city of Amsterdam should first objectively assess whether existing rules have been effective before designing new restrictive ones. Based on this evaluation, adjustments to the current rules should be made in a proportionate manner.

5. A well-designed STR policy will help Amsterdam manage tourism flows

A more tailored approach to tourism regulations, focused on dispersing visitors and stimulating (instead of limiting) home sharing, will help manage visitor flows and the expected increase in numbers – such as during key events – without the need to build new accommodations. 

This approach will also create broader economic benefits for all local communities, ensuring all Amsterdammers benefit from tourism In this light, Airbnb urges the city to increase the 30-night limit on primary homes, create temporary home sharing solutions for essential workers and students and prioritize home sharing over hotel projects. 

This is especially important as Amsterdam prepares to host major events such as SAIL 2025 and Global Pride 2026. Encouraging home sharing instead of permitting new hotel projects can help accommodate a peak in visitors during these events without adding permanent tourist accommodations to the city. 

Additionally, Airbnb calls on the city to exempt children from the maximum capacity limit of four people in locals’ primary homes to ensure that families of all sizes can fully enjoy these major events – and the city itself.

As the city plans to review local STR rules, Airbnb proposes the following recommendations for a balanced, equal tourism strategy. 

1. Acknowledge the facts

• Representing only 2% of overnight stays and only 20% of accommodations temporarily offered to guests in the city centre, STRs have a much smaller part than hotel accommodations in driving tourists flows to the city centre, while providing essential income for local Amsterdam hosts²² who occasionally rent out their primary homes.  or part of it across the city. 
• Focus on quality-of-life concerns through balanced, data-driven policies with STR regulations only where there is a proven link between STRs and nuisances, rather than relying on perception and assumptions that make people believe that additional measures on STRs will address these concerns. .
• Ensure a regular objective, evidence-based assessment of the STR rules to ensure these align with local dynamics and demographic changes.

2. Evidence-based rules that are flexible and targeted at neighborhood level

• Soften restrictions in less crowded areas on primary homes occasionally rented on a short term basis by increasing  the night limit in for example Zuidoost, Nieuw-West, Sloten/Nieuwe-Sloten, Tuindorp Oostzaan, Zeeburgereiland en Middenmeer to manage tourism flows more effectively, support tourism dispersal and bring benefits to local communities in these districts. 
• Introduce an exemption to the four people maximum capacity for children to ensure families of all sizes can fully benefit from STRs.
• Encourage home sharing to accommodate large-scale events such as SAIL Amsterdam (2025) or WorldPride (2026). 
• Implement stricter regulations on accommodation dedicated to tourism in high-tourism districts, including neighborhood quotas.

3. Targeted support for housing needs

To assist essential workers and students, it is important to enable temporary STR opportunities through hospita home-sharing arrangements, helping to alleviate housing shortages via platforms such as Airbnb. Airbnb is committed to collaborating with the municipality to enhance the effectiveness of hospita home-sharing and to provide guidance to hosts in renting out part of their primary homes to essential workers and students.

4. Incentivizing the conversion of hotels into long term housing 

Amsterdam should seize the opportunity to convert closing hotels into much-needed housing rather than allowing an old-to-new hotel replacement. By incentivizing hotel-to-housing conversions, the city could tackle the housing crisis more effectively, and add  new units in the central districts.  

5. Redirect tourist tax revenue back to local communities outside the city centre to community projects or new housing supply.  

Since 2015, Airbnb alone has collected and remitted over €66.8 million in tourist tax to the city government on behalf of hosts and guests in Amsterdam²³. Airbnb advocates for this revenue to be reinvested locally through a direct and transparent allocation to community funds. 

6. Enhanced collaboration on tourism dispersal
   

Work with Airbnb and other platforms to encourage tourism in off-peak periods and promote lesser-known and visited areas in neighborhoods like Amsterdam Zuidoost, Noord and Nieuw-West and outside Amsterdam.

In the coming months, as Amsterdam prepares to finalize the escalation ladder proposal and update the Housing Ordinance, Airbnb looks forward to working with the city and the broader tourism sector to develop a proportionate, evidence-based strategy that ensures a thriving city for both residents and visitors, balancing hospitality and livability.