Tourism

The meeting shows that Amsterdam and Barcelona share the same concern and political commitment to make tourism management a priority issue.

A delegation from Barcelona City Council, headed by Jordi Valls, Deputy Mayor for Economy, Finance, Economic Promotion and Tourism, is visiting Amsterdam to meet with his Dutch counterpart, Sofyan Mbarki, with whom the delegation will discuss the effects of mass tourism and joint strategies to maintain and improve the quality of life of the city’s residents.

According to Valls, the meeting “shows that Amsterdam and Barcelona share the same concern and political commitment to make tourism management a priority issue.” “We’ve recommitted ourselves to continuing to build our joint alliance and to moving forward with the expansion of our management capacity in the European sphere,” he added.

At the meeting, Barcelona wants to explain the vision for tourism the new municipal government is developing and for the two cities to share their experiences in this area. This involves mutual learning in the development of new policies, which are aimed at achieving a visitor economy that is more sustainable and respectful of the area and the environment.

The visit also aims to strengthen the relationship between these two capitals that have led the way in applying measures to achieve sustainable tourism and manage the influx of visitors and their impact on the area.

Valls met with his counterpart Sofyan Mbarki, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs and Tourism; Hester Van Buren, Deputy Mayor for Finance and the Port of Amsterdam, and a team of political advisers in charge of managing tourism and the economy in the city.

Jordi Valls explained the Barcelona City Council’s objective of applying strategies to promote and improve tourism management. Both Amsterdam and Barcelona intend to apply fiscal and regulatory measures to reduce the impact of tourism and to preserve and protect local trade, culture and social cohesion in their city centres, which are certified by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. At the same time, both cities aim for cooperation from the business and innovation sectors to achieve a more sustainable tourism sector that contributes to the local community and has a positive impact both locally and globally.

The trip seeks to continue the joint work being carried out by Barcelona and Amsterdam in the European sphere to improve the tools for combating illegal tourist accommodations and the advertising of these accommodations on digital platforms.

As part of the Eurocities network of cities, they are leading an alliance calling on the European Commission to create new tools and regulations to give cities with high levels of tourism greater management and control capacities. Along these lines, Barcelona will be working with Amsterdam to further this joint work on managing tourist accommodation, policies to regulate cruise ship traffic, and the taxes and rates applicable to tourist activity. Work will address how these need to ensure that visitors contribute to the destination, minimise the impact of mass tourism in the most affected neighbourhoods and give something back to the city and its resident population.

With a view to protecting economic activity in the territory, they will also be discussing their experiences of providing support to local commerce, particularly iconic establishments, and to protecting historical neighbourhoods in the cities.

The agenda for the day will also include a meeting with the amsterdam&partners foundation to learn more about the Dutch capital’s tourism management and marketing strategies, and the work carried out by start-ups to provide innovative ways of managing visitor flows. This vision, both in terms of strategic promotion and investment in the digitalisation of tourism options, is shared and is a priority for both cities. In the case of Barcelona, the Next Generation funds will enable more than 5 million euros to be invested over the coming years to implement a project that will allow us to take a leap forward in digital promotion and data management to optimise visitor flows.