Several river cruise lines are adjusting their itineraries as Amsterdam plans to cut river cruise stops nearly in half in an effort to combat overtourism.
Last year, 1,950 river ships called in Amsterdam, a number the city wants to shrink by 10% in 2026, said spokesman Jurre Kuin. River cruise lines will receive an annual reduction quota, based upon port calls from the previous year.
To help reach the goal of curbing river cruise traffic, vessels that do not meet the Green Award requirement will no longer be able to dock in Amsterdam starting next year. To be certified, a ship has to meet certain environmental standards, a requirement for ships docking in the city center since 2023 that will become mandatory for all Amsterdam berths next year.
IG RiverCruise, which represents European river cruise lines and is also known as the European River Cruise Association, coordinated a working group with Amsterdam to address overtourism, said board member Robbert Verbeek.
Verbeek, also group CFO of Scylla, a builder and operator of river ships, described the tourism generated by river cruises as "temporary and also manageable," as they typically do not spend much time in any city, since they are just one call on what is often a weeklong itinerary.
"River cruising could be a solution and is not part of the problem," Verbeek said of overtourism.
An aerial view of Amsterdam's cruise port. Photo Credit: Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
Little impact on some river lines
The cuts do not appear to uniformly impact river fleets; some lines are making changes for 2026, but others are not.
Docking allocations are assigned to shipping companies rather than river cruise lines, meaning partners that handle the bookings for port calls must cut 10% of their total dockings in Amsterdam, said Michelle Molnar, Tauck's associate director of river and Europe, global operations. Tauck's port booking partner, Scylla, receives the docking allotment and distributes those allocations to its river cruise line partners, she said.
Tauck does not expect much impact; Avalon Waterways and Riviera Travel said the same.
Lines that are modifying port calls are using it as an opportunity to introduce passengers to quieter Dutch towns, a move supported by river cruise specialist Mary Graham, founder of Trips by Mary in North Carolina, who said that the river cruise model excels at visiting smaller ports.
AmaWaterways will dock all of its ships in Zaandam, a 20-minute drive from Amsterdam, said COO Jon Burrows.
"Zaandam offers a calmer, less crowded arrival for our guests while providing the opportunity to enjoy a charming town with its own unique Dutch character," he said.
Riverside Luxury Cruises will also request to dock in Zaandam when it cannot stay in Amsterdam, as will Emerald Cruises.
Amadeus River Cruises structured its 2026 sailings with the new docking allocations in mind and will not need to substitute docks or use coach transfers, said spokeswoman Victoria Singleton.
Viking did not respond to a request for comment about the regulations.
The Emerald Luna christened in Amsterdam in 2022. Photo Credit: Emerald Cruises
Other overtourism moves
Amsterdam, like some other European cities, is grappling with overtourism, which advocates say can negatively impact residents by driving up the cost of living and straining infrastructure.
The city is also cracking down on ocean cruises by limiting the number of oceangoing ships at its dock to 100 a year starting in 2026. It also wants to curb bachelor parties, convert hotels into residences and offices and distribute tourism more evenly across the city.
Although river cruise passengers make up 2% of annual visitors, they generate about $257 million in direct spend, IG RiverCruise said.
Zane Kerby, CEO of ASTA, which hosts an annual conference for river cruise lines and travel advisors, called the direct spend "an outsized benefit" that Amsterdam enjoys thanks to the industry. Next year's ASTA River Cruise Expo will be held in Amsterdam.
"Restricting river cruise calls won't solve the city's crowding issues, but it will deliver a very real economic blow to the city," Kerby said.
Graham said Amsterdam's reaction to river cruise calls was the "flip side" to the industry's explosion in recent years. Though no other European city has targeted river cruise calls, Graham said she "wouldn't be surprised to see some other cities follow suit," adding that river cruise lines must adapt to perceptions of overtourism.
She said lines should view Amsterdam's stricter approach to river cruises as an opportunity to differentiate their itineraries from one another. She does not expect her clients to shy away from taking a river cruise if the itinerary skips Amsterdam.
"Nobody comes to me and says, 'I have to see Amsterdam; we're going to go on a river cruise,'" she said.
On the other hand, Linda Terrill, president of The Luxury Travel Group, said that ships embarking in Amsterdam offer nonstop flight options for U.S.-based passengers.
"Many U.S. cities have nonstop service to Amsterdam, which makes travel so much easier. Losing that convenience could be a drawback," she said, adding that many of her clients have never been to Amsterdam, "and the chance to explore the city is often a highlight. … Taking that away entirely could make some travelers think twice about booking the Rhine rather than the Danube or other European rivers."