750th Anniversary of Amsterdam's Founding
Catholic Jubilee Brings Surge of Pilgrims to Rome
Concerns Rise Over Overtourism Protests Again This Year
On the 18th (local time), the Tulip Festival was held at Museumplein in Amsterdam to celebrate the Netherlands' "Tulip Day." Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News.
The Dutch capital Amsterdam, celebrating its 750th anniversary this year, is preparing for large-scale events, making it a representative city of 'Overtourism' expected to attract tens of millions of tourists this year. The Vatican in Rome, marking the Catholic 'Jubilee' year, which grants pilgrims forgiveness every 25 years, is also expected to draw tens of millions of pilgrims.
Overtourism, where an excessive number of tourists relative to the resident population causes distress to locals, has become a serious social issue in some European countries. There are growing concerns that anti-overtourism protests will intensify again this year, especially in Southern European countries like Spain and Greece, traditional summer vacation destinations.
Amsterdam Celebrates 750th Anniversary...Tourists Expected to Flood in from Summer Season
On the 31st of last month (local time), a New Year's fireworks display took place in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Photo by EPA and Yonhap News.
According to CNN, Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, is preparing over 300 events around its founding anniversary on October 27th to celebrate its 750th year. Already known as one of the European cities with a high number of tourists, Amsterdam is expected to become the city with the most severe overtourism in Europe this year.
Amsterdam's resident population was about 920,000 as of last year, but the annual number of tourists reaches 18 to 20 million. The Amsterdam city council recorded approximately 22 million overnight accommodation bookings last year, which is more than 23 times the total number of residents. This year, due to numerous events, it is expected that 30 to 40 million tourists will visit, far exceeding the usual numbers.
The Amsterdam city government also raised the tourist tax significantly last year to curb overtourism. The tourist tax on hotel stays was increased from about 7% to 12.5% of the accommodation fee per night, and for passengers staying on cruise ships and other vessels, the tax rose from 8 euros (about 12,000 KRW) to 11 euros (about 16,500 KRW).
Catholic 'Jubilee' Every 25 Years...Vatican Already Welcomes 500,000 Pilgrims
On the 6th (local time), Pope Francis is leading a service at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Photo by AFP and Yonhap News.
The Vatican City, located within Rome, Italy, is also one of the major cities expected to attract tourists worldwide this year. 2025 marks the Catholic Jubilee year, which grants forgiveness to pilgrims every 25 years. As a result, the flow of Catholic pilgrims visiting the Vatican is expected to be continuous.
According to the Associated Press, from the end of last month’s Christmas season to early this month, over 500,000 pilgrims have already visited the Vatican for the Jubilee. It is anticipated that more than 30 million pilgrims will visit throughout the year. Considering that the total population of Vatican City, including priests affiliated with the Holy See and some residents, is only about 700 to 800 people, severe overtourism is expected.
The city of Rome, which encompasses Vatican City, is also undertaking about 300 public infrastructure projects to welcome tourists for the Jubilee, including renovating underground roads and pedestrian pathways. The famous Trevi Fountain in Rome reopened on the 24th of last month after three months of restoration work. The Rome authorities have limited simultaneous entry to the Trevi Fountain to 400 people and are considering charging an entrance fee in the future.
Major European Tourist Destinations Suffering from Overtourism...Protests Expected Again This Year
In July last year, residents of Palma City on Mallorca Island, a major tourist destination in Spain, held protests against overtourism. Photo by AFP and Yonhap News
Tourist cities in Southern Europe, such as Spain and Greece, are also at the center of overtourism. There are concerns that residents will stage anti-overtourism protests again this summer, as they did last year.
According to the BBC, in July last year, about 3,000 protesters in Barcelona sprayed water guns at tourists while chanting slogans like "Tourists go home" in an anti-overtourism demonstration. Protests also occurred in major Spanish tourist destinations such as Mallorca, the Canary Islands, and Malaga, sparking controversy both inside and outside Spain. Similar protests and demonstrations continued in Southern European countries like Italy and Greece.
The main reason for these anti-overtourism protests in these regions is the worsening living conditions for residents due to soaring housing prices and inflation. In Barcelona, for example, housing prices have surged over 68% in the past decade due to the conversion of homes into tourist accommodations such as new hotels and Airbnb rentals.
However, amid growing concerns about an economic downturn, authorities find it difficult to restrict the number of tourists. In Spain, tourism accounted for 12% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 13% of employment last year.
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