Sustainable tourism development in Amsterdam Oud-West

Abstract

In many popular tourism destinations in the world, rapid tourism growth is occurring. The Netherlands has also experienced tourism growth, with an expected increase of almost 6 million international tourists in 10 years. Amsterdam is the main destination in this enormous growth. Some residents are worried that within a few years their locality will be full of tourists. Rapid tourism growth has an enormous impact on the environment, the economy and society, and emphasises the need for sustainable tourism development. Sustainable tourism development has two main considerations: long-term tourism planning, and applying stakeholder participation. Solving the problem of overcrowding can only be achieved by applying these. This study explores the current tourism situation and the extent to which sustainable tourism development is being applied in the rural area of Amsterdam Oud-West. Data will be collected by 11 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders such as the municipality, residents, the tourism industry and one news reporter. The main contribution of this study will be in terms of context, since no research on sustainable tourism development has been done in this particular area. Besides, it will provide insights into the practical application of sustainable tourism development, which might be helpful for all areas in Amsterdam, or even all other tourism destinations.

Keywords: Amsterdam Oud-West, long-term thinking, stakeholder participation, sustainable tourism development, tourism pressure