Booking Amsterdam this summer, expect a city that is actively shrinking its tourist infrastructure. Per city council decisions, from 2026 ocean cruise calls are capped at 100 per year — down from roughly 190 — with a full move of the cruise terminal out of the city center targeted by 2035, and new hotel construction is banned unless it replaces rooms in closed hotels. Ships that do dock must use shore power rather than run their engines.
Daily News Voyage publishes information, not travel-agent advice; the measures below are the city's own policy as of June 2026.
Why is Amsterdam cutting cruise calls?
The council framed the 2026 cap as part of its "tourism in balance" program: the city has concluded that visitor volume, not just visitor behavior, is the problem. The 100-call ceiling is a deliberate halfway point on the way to the 2035 relocation of the cruise terminal away from the center. The cut also serves air-quality goals, which is where the shore-power requirement fits.
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What about the hotel rule?
The construction ban is about room count, not buildings: a developer can build a hotel only if another hotel closed, keeping total rooms flat. Per reporting on the policy, the city has flagged a long-term aim of shrinking hotel capacity by about 30% over time, though no date is attached to that ambition. Practically, this means fewer new places to stay every year you visit.
Does this make Amsterdam more expensive?
Yes, structurally. A flat room supply against steady demand, plus Europe's highest tourist tax — Amsterdam adds 12.5% to accommodation rates — means the all-in price of a central room keeps climbing. Budget travelers feel it most; the canal-zone hotel that cost €180 in 2023 routinely quotes far more now.
Are day visitors affected?
Indirectly. The city raised its day-tripper cruise-passenger tax and has run campaigns discouraging party tourism, but the practical 2026 change for most visitors is the cruise cap: if your itinerary starts or ends in Amsterdam's center terminal, check whether your sailing was trimmed from the schedule.
The practical takeaway
Book Amsterdam accommodation earlier than you would for a comparable city, read the tourist-tax line on the bill — it is 12.5% on top of the rate — and if you are sailing in, confirm your port call survived the 100-ship ceiling before you build the rest of the trip around it.