Copenhagen and Amsterdam have started "hiding" attractions from tourists: what happened

Europe is suffering because of the tourism boom, and that is a fact. But different countries and different cities are coming up with their own methods of dealing with the invasion of vacationers.

Thus, the capital cities of Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Copenhagen (Denmark) have begun to use the same technique. As the British edition of Mirror writes, they began to hide their sights from visitors.

The basis for this approach was an experiment conducted in 2021. It was put by Ondřej Mitas, a senior lecturer at Brad University of Applied Sciences. He took 155 tourists to the Dutch province of Overijssel and offered them one of two digital planning tools to inspire travel. One group received a program with popular destinations marked on it, while the others received a tool that was guided by an artificial intelligence-based virtual concierge called Travel With Zoey. Its job was to recommend lesser-known tourist attractions.

Both groups used their programs and then took part in a survey about their level of vacation enjoyment. It turned out that all travelers showed roughly the same results - everyone enjoyed their vacation, regardless of whether it was planned independently or with the help of a customized AI. Now Mitas and the Travel with Zoey team are working with tourist boards to visit Amsterdam and Copenhagen to scale and replicate the experiment.

One of the ways the e-tips are resorting to is redirecting vacationer traffic to lesser-known attractions. This creative strategy aims to change the tourist profile of popular cities. The virtual assistant recommends users not the most obvious and, therefore, popular points, but chooses no less interesting but hidden gems - museums, architectural and natural wonders, etc. This way, the crowds in the cities are smaller and the tourists themselves get a more authentic experience. It also distributes tourism revenue more evenly.

The second way that both cities work to limit the negative effects of excessive tourism is by rewarding guests for good behavior. For example, in Copenhagen, free gifts are given to visitors who strive to meet eco-friendly living standards. Tourists who sort garbage, use public transportation or participate in volunteer activities are eligible for rewards. Thus, the city spends less money on cleaning popular tourist spots, and guests can visit some interesting sights or eat local delicacies for free.

Amsterdam is working on a program to reduce the flow of tourists. From 2026 it is planned to reduce the number of permits for stopping cruise ships, and by 2035 to remove the terminal for them outside the city center. Local authorities also plan to introduce restrictions on short-term rentals by the end of the year. In addition, Amsterdam has launched a campaign "Stay away", which encourages tourists to attend fewer parties in the Red Light District. Also, the Dutch capital has banned the use of cannabis in public places on the streets, which has already helped to limit reckless behavior of tourists.

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