Amsterdam plans to ban STRs in some areas

Amsterdam’s main political parties have all committed to banning short-term rentals in busy areas. It’s part of a backlash against unregulated tourism that they think is ruining the city.

Expect other cities to follow suit soon. An outright ban is harsh and a very blunt interested but it’s one of the few effective ways to stop the unwanted activity. If it’s targeted to specific areas it can do this without hurting tourism.

Sometimes the STR companies assume that “more tourism = better” for a city, but it’s really just a means to an end, not an end in of itself. The real end is better quality of life for its residents. If they thought that blocking all tourists was the way to do it, then they would. With the global rise of tourism only going to get bigger as China and India get on board and flights continue to drop in price, expect more communities to try draconian measures to preserve their way of life.