With tourists gone, Amsterdam locals reclaim their city
Katja Brokke, CNN • Published 27th May
2020
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An empty city: Like many destinations once overrun by tourists, Amsterdam has been emptied out by restrictions in place to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
Amsterdam (CNN) — A couple of weeks after the first coronavirus case arrived in the Netherlands, we were told to stay inside. Bars and schools closed down and my hometown of Amsterdam came to a halt.
After the first feelings of confusion and uncertainty, I slowly got used to the idea. There was a calmness in the streets I hadn't experienced in years.
In the past decade, Amsterdam has become a hasty and chaotic place, its occupants increasingly short-tempered. The city's population of 863,000 was annually swollen by nine million tourists.
The shops in the city center were given over to cater to them, selling waffles, souvenirs and cannabis seeds. Stores catering to residents closed down because of extreme hikes in rent and the lack of customers.
More and more, locals have started to avoid the most beautiful part of their city, as its houses were rented out to tourists and expats.
The center was dying -- so much so that the government stopped promoting the whole of Amsterdam as a tourist destination.
I live on the west side of Amsterdam, a neighborhood with fewer tourists and mainly local inhabitants.
Because we have an "intelligent" lockdown, we have been "allowed" to go outside. In the beginning, few people did. Buying groceries or a coffee to go. Or just going for a walk in the park. It became significantly quieter.
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