Amsterdam voices the need to jointly address industry misconceptions at its annual breakfast

Wednesday, April 4, 2018 - 11:42 by ce-press

The Port of Amsterdam and Amsterdam Cruise Port hosted the annual breakfast at Seatrade Global for the eleventh year on March 6. Rene Kouwenberg, director Passenger Terminal Amsterdam, took the opportunity to address the 80 or so attendees including 20 representatives from ocean and river cruises not about the latest developments in Amsterdam and IJmuiden but a far wider issue.

“This morning I want to share a dilemma we face and for which we need your cooperation and support. Worldwide economies do well and tourism is growing. Not just cruise tourism. Overcrowding and discussions about sustainability or ‘how does the city and the people who live there really profit from tourism’ are taking place. Until two years ago this was no issue. Now it is quickly becoming the new reality.

“And what do you believe is more visible? A large cruiseship in or near the city centre with 2,000 or 3,000 passengers or 25 full airplanes from price fighters on an airport far from the city centre?

“If we do not act quickly, cruise tourism becomes the equivalent of mass tourism. And we know that this is not true.

“And with that we need your help. Help us tell the story about cruise tourism in all aspects. Not just the sales pitch you read in an ad. But also about all the other aspects, things that may worry the people of Amsterdam, Barcelona or Hamburg.

“Invite, with us, influentials or politicians on board the ships and let the environmental manager explain what you do about sustainability. Let’s tell them about your efforts to spread the passengers over a larger area than just the city centre. I know that some of you already do that.

“Connect better to the local community. We understand that you cannot open the ship to everybody but it works very well if you do so every now and then. When we celebrated the start of the cultural season in Amsterdam, Holland America Line invited 150 locals to a short concert on board the ship. This creates so much goodwill. Or invite a school class and let them be the captain for one hour.

“This becomes more and more important. Not just on an ‘ad hoc’ basis, but make it policy to do so. The cruise industry has a bright future but we have to work together to let it shine.”

Amsterdam voices the need to jointly address industry misconceptions at its annual breakfast

Rene Kouwenberg, director Passenger Terminal Amsterdam (c) Passenger Terminal Amsterdam

Related port

IJmuiden

The port of IJmuiden is situated along the North Sea canal estuary, which discharges into the sea through enormous locks. Cruise ships moor at the Felison Terminal, which is conveniently located on the seaward side of the locks. The elegant terminal is able to harbour cruise vessel up to 295 meters, granting time saving access to the dynamic city of Amsterdam. With close access to Schiphol Airport, Felison Terminal provides an ideal starting point for cruises to the Baltic, Norway’s Fjords and North Cape, as well as, the British Isles and the Atlantic West Coast. IJmuiden offers a beautiful beachfront, a protected dune landscape, a public golf club, horse stables and an indoor skiing slope. A fast hydrofoil will take you to Amsterdam in less than thirty minutes. So visiting IJmuiden combines an easy, time and costs saving access to Holland’s top marquee attractions, next to a broad pallet of local touristic gemstones, which are yet to be discovered by the wider audience.