On 10 June, the Mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, held a working meeting with Mayor Ada Colau at Barcelona City Hall with the aim of continuing the joint work of the two cities at a time of recovery of activity after the pandemic, and in particular to share experiences and learn first-hand about the work being done by Barcelona in terms of tourism management. Both mayors reaffirmed their alliance to promote sustainable tourism and fight against overcrowding; both cities have been working together for years and have promoted similar measures, such as the regulation of hotel activity in the city centre and the fight against illegal tourist flats.

Both mayors made it known that they are calling for European regulation to combat illegal tourist accommodation and to promote a balanced activity that puts a limit to the speculation that drives out residents. Ada Colau thanked Amsterdam for working together with Barcelona to exchange experiences and knowledge and announced the reactivation of the shock plan against illegal tourist flats in the city, while Femke Halsema remarked that both cities work in a network and in coordination with other European cities and expressed her support for limiting the activity of airports, especially in terms of short flights that have their alternative in the train.

The mayor of Amsterdam also held meetings with the deputy mayors Janet Sanz and Laia Bonet, who stressed that they discussed “shared challenges and projects for a fair digital transition, sustainable tourism, security and affordable housing“, and visited Parc Güell to learn about the measures for managing tourist flows.