Amsterdam, Copenhagen bring in 'experimental' new rules for UK tourists

Amsterdam and Copenhagen are experimenting with hiding their cultural landmarks from tourists. European Union holiday hotspots Amsterdam and Copenhagen, in the Netherlands and Denmark respectively, are taking action over Brits.

“It’s not that tourism used to be a force for good and now has become a force for evil,” explains Ondrej Mitas, a senior lecturer at Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. In a 2021 experiment run by Mitas and his team at Breda University, 155 visitors to the Dutch province of Overijssel were given one of two digital planning tools to inspire their trips.

One group was given an app with the traditional sights marked out, and another was set up with an AI concierge called Travel With Zoey, which recommended the least visited tourist attractions as must-sees, verified by a behind-the-scenes employee.

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“People had an equally good time whether they went to the hot spots or not, and that is pretty important,” says Mitas. “Whatever source reaches people with the least friction and makes the experience sound the most fun wins,” Mitas says.

Mitas and the Zoey team are now working with Amsterdam’s and Copenhagen’s tourism boards to re-create the experiment in overcrowded city centers. “We’re expecting that the outcomes will be relatively the same as in Overijssel,” says Rajneesh Badal, Zoey’s chief executive officer.

If so, he says, “the next step for us will be to make this part of the toolkit for policymakers and destination management organizations.” In September 2023, Copenhagen Airport experienced a significant surge in passenger traffic, as it served 2,533,764 passengers.

This marked a noticeable increase compared to the same month in the previous year when 2,282,615 passengers travelled through CPH. This is not the only step being taken in Copenhagen. Between July 11 and August 11, the city rewarded its visitors for taking environmentally friendly actions.