As the Eurovision 2020 host city bidding process officially kicks off now, presumed candidate and capital, Amsterdam, have dropped a bombshell – they are not willing to put up a fight to host the song contest.
Mayor Femke Halsema has expressed an interest in hosting the contest, telling media that “we would be very enthusiastic (to host Eurovision 2020), but will not stand in the way of other cities.”
With already several other cities expressing an interest in hosting the event, Amsterdam, who hosts the annual Eurovision in Concert, may be playing it smart keeping its cards close to its chest.
The city also has a lot on its plate from next year, also playing host to the quinquennial maritime event Sail 2020, as well as several games in the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship. The mayor has recognised these other events locked in in its calendar means that they will have to be responsible with their Eurovision bid, Femke says:
“We can have something, but we are a responsible capital, so we have to guard against a prestige battle with other cities. We will handle that chic. ”
The Dutch Tourism Board — the NBTC — have recently come out swinging, releasing a statement that they do not want Amsterdam to win this race. The NBTC, whose aim is to promote The Netherlands, argues that Eurovision is the perfect opportunity to show Europe there is more to The Netherlands than just Amsterdam.
“Please no images of romantic Amsterdam canals,” they write on their web site. “Use the song festival to show lesser known places in our country. In 2014 we saw Ilse de Lange and Waylon with tulips on a houseboat as an introduction to their song. In 2020, things must change.”
The NBTC says it is not necessarily the best-suited, as it “is already struggling with the pressure of large numbers of visitors.”
So, in short – showcase less tulips, less canals and less markets.
And with that knowledge, potential host cities are springing up like mushrooms. In an earlier post, we collected all of the interested cities, which included Utrecht and Arnhem, Leeuwarden and Maastricht, Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Regional town Enschede have also just thrown their hat – or hangar – into the mix. Surely Dutch officials are going to have a lot to think about as they try to choose just one.
Eurovision 2020 host city bidding process
As the EBU explains, the bidding process for interested cities and regions will take place in three phases between now and the end of July.
Step 1. During the first half of June, NPO/AVROTROS/NOS will send all interested cities and regions the document laying out the criteria they need to meet in order to host. This set of criteria will become the basis for each city’s bid.
Step 2. After they’ve studied the package, the candidates will have four weeks to complete “bid books”. These must be submitted in the first half of July.
Step 3. In the middle of July, officials overseeing the selection process can choose to visit cities and regions that are still in the race. They will also meet with the EBU after assessing each of the bids.
The specific criteria for Eurovision host cities does change from year to year. However, there are some broad strokes that remain the same. These include having sufficient hotels to accommodate visitors; venues able to hold a minimum threshold of spectators; the ability to set up a press centre near that venue; and access to the venue between March and May 2019.
How do you feel about all this? Do you have your sights – and smells – set on Amsterdam? Or would you like to see another city in The Netherlands host the event? Let us know down below.
If Amsterdam don’t want Eurovision in their city, then so be it… after all this is a democracy and the Mayor have given major reasons why they are unable to host it…besides there are other places where Eurovision could be held
Helsinki 2020 #TEAMPACKALEN
41 times Eurovision has been held in the Capital
Only 23 in another city
Most of the visitors, or entrants will be arriving through Amsterdam Schipol airport anyway. So base them all locally.
The entire West of the country is essentially one big urban area. Distances between cities are very small. Schiphol Airport is less than a 30-minute train ride from Utrecht, The Hague, or Rotterdam.
I don’t get this whole “Eurovision should be hosted in a major city” argument. What if Slovenia, Moldova, or Montenegro wins Eurovision next year? Ljubljana, Chisinau or Podgorica can hardly be classified as major cities! The Netherlands has many cities that are way more suitable and experienced to host international events like ESC than any of the cities mentioned above.
Ljubljana, Chisinau and Podgorica might not be major cities on a global scale, but within these countries, they are the major city and thus most developed. They probably could host international events but they would probably be the only locations in each respective country that could do so successfully. Sure, the Netherlands has many big and developed cities worthy of hosting Eurovision. But in this case, the major cities are the ideal locations due to infrastructure, hotel rooms, actual things for the visitors to see and do when Eurovision isn’t on, and of course experience in hosting regular events, like… Read more »
They should choose a place which is easily reachable , safe , has accommodation for people with a range of money to spend and enough things to do when people want a break from ESC. That’s all !! That’s obvious that it should have a suitable venue.
Multiple cities in Netherlands seem to be fulfilling the criteria . So power to them . Given its in a country which is more central to Europe than was say Ukraine or Israel , it’s highly likely this will be a profitable venture for NLs
Amsterdam: Not here to fight !
Belgium be like: I came to fight , I came to fight over youuuuuuu
Amsterdam is constantly hosting great events so no other city has more experiences in this than Amsterdam. Speaking of the biggest music event in the world you need to make sure everything is perfect. It‘s not about the Netherlands it‘s about the 200 million people watching this. Amsterdam 2020 or nothing!
That’s nice and all, but it’s not the municipality of Amsterdam, Ziggo Dome or the Amsterdammer organisations who organize the contest for 100% next year. It’s a collaboration between the EBU, AVROTROS/NPO/NOS, the management of the venue, and many other (international) professionals involved in the technique and design of the show. So after all it doesn’t matter whether it will take place in Amsterdam, Rotterdam or Leeuwarden. You always have an international production team which doesn’t hold back from municipality borders. And yes it is about the Netherlands, and NOT about Amsterdam, or did Amsterdam win Eurovision2019? Most video clips… Read more »
Eurovision isn’t some marketing ploy for cities. Like Deban mentioned, Eurovision is a world class event that should only be held in the most major cities… do we want to host it in a place most people can’t even pronounce?
I’m sure most people can pronounce Rotterdam but okay. One of the great things about Eurovision is the opportunity to explore new corners of the world, and to allow the host city to show itself off in the best light. If hosting in Rotterdam can help boost the city’s long term tourism prospects, then it’ll be the nicest thing the contest has done for prosperity since Assi donated his hosting salary.
We people that support Amsterdam is somehow not wanted in this comment section… Why?? Just because we are smart enough to put it in a world class city
There’s a difference between supporting Amsterdam and trashing other cities. The other serious contenders are world class cities, and as has been pointed out, Rotterdam might have better infrastructure to host the contest than Tel Aviv or Lisbon.
Rotterdam seems like Düsseldorf 2.0, literally a sh!thole. Amsterdam would grab in thousands that will attend Eurovision and have got the full package for an event like this. Flights into Schiphol come from all over and would accommodate fans and delegates.
Why not host it at the Ziggo Dome or the big football arena with 70,000 people. Seems a waste as usual!
Amsterdam could make Eurovision into a side event, meaning they would not invest in it properly since they have to focus on numerous other international events. That’s a true waste. At least Rotterdam takes their bid seriously, we have to like that. Big football arenas seems to be good on-the-surface idea, but you need to consider more units of cameras to be used, more expense on building an acoustic damper to give good acoustic quality, and plan a proportional stage that will not look like a tiny theatre between a shoot lot of audiences. We can look at Dusseldorf 2011… Read more »
Did you go to Dusseldorf 2011? I didn’t, so I can’t comment on the city’s infrastructure.
However, the production in the arena was flawless, probably the best of the decade (and the largest crowd).
what’s wrong with Dusseldorf? It was best stage ever seen on Eurovision history
I have nothing against Dusseldorf, but the stage was not the best of history.
Rotterdam =/= Düsseldorf. It’s a bit weird to assume that because Düsseldorf is an apparent “sh!thole”, Rotterdam would be the same.
Rotterdam is the second city of The Netherlands in terms of size and commercial value, whilst Dusseldorf is Germany’s 7th largest city. A more apt comparison would be to say that Rotterdam is akin to Hamburg or Frankfurt. Moreover, many people were upset over Dusseldorf because Berlin had yet to host and was more than able to do so, as it was the first time the contest went to Germany post reunification, while Amsterdam has already hosted and is dealing with overflowing tourism
If Barbara phoning in from there every year is proof enough, Hamburg is where the parties are!
It’s evident that it’ll be the next German city to host Eurovision
You’re really hungry for Amsterdam 2020, Aren’t you?
You can make earn good money out of hosting eurovision.
Lisbon 2018:
Spent: 10 Million Euros
Earned: 18 Million Euros
Kyiv 2017
Spent: 22 Million Euros
Earned: 9 Million Euros
Stockholm 2016
Spent: 12 Million Euros
Earned: 27 Million Euros
Vienna 2015
Spent: 17 Million Euros
Earned: 25 Million Euros
Copenhagen 2014
Spent: 40 Million Euros
Earned: 20 Million Euros
Baku 2012
Spent: 46 Million Euros
Earned: 7 Million Euros
But don’t build a new Arena or drag a shipyard into one….
In order of least to most profitable: Baku, Copenhagen, Kyiv, Vienna, Lisbon (Lisbon was cheaper so even though it was equally profitable to Vienna wins out) and then Stockholm
Those are some really interesting numbers, do you have the source?
I’m wondering how Stockholm could have earned so much, and how they spent so little while having a quite expensive looking show.
And Lisbon looked also really expensive because the venue was gigantic, but it’s also only 10 M.
That puts everything into perspective, it was estimated that they needed 25-35M for next year. I thought that was average. But looking at these numbers it will be quite expensive and grand.
I think Lisbon was relatively cheap because the venue was already built for concerts rather than sports, unlike most Eurovision arenas- so less money needed to improve acoustics etc
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aznOFSMHY2s
I used this link to see, amazing video of eurovision budgets year after year! 🙂
It’s in Swedish but you’ll understand!
I just did not use the exact the same numbers but approx
Stockholm probably had their venues ready in hand, so they could spent more on the stage and show.
Good point, although I think at the end of the day Lisbon was more than 10 million, more in the region of 15.
Oh please don’t underestimate the power of hosting Eurovision. In 2014 and before Vienna was ranking 14th on best capital due to the fact that Vienna and Austria itself progressed to be a LGBT friendly country.
However after Eurovision 2015 the scrutinizes did approved that Vienna was a highly LGBT friendly city and ranked it 1st in Best Capital In Europe.
Today Amsterdam only ranks 17th so showcase your open side Amsterdam and it will be worth hosting Eurovision. You might end up ranking 2-5th because you’re a lovely country! 🙂
At least they are much humble and that they don’t suffer in grandiose tendencies (like having to unnecessarily invite an American singer to perform in the contest).
Better option : Moscow 2020
#Justice4Sergey
Send him next year with a up beat song and we’ll be in Sotji 2021
Sevastopol
It looks like Netta got it wrong two years in a row. Last year, “see you next year in Jerusalem” – this year “we’re comin’ to Amsterdam!” so she never learns…:)
Also Nikki in 2012 – That means next year we’ll be in Sweden Nikki: And Stockholm
When Malmö Hosted it in 2013………
Also the Swedish host in 1992, “I guess Dublin…” which turned out to be a bad guess.
To be fair, the capital is usually the safest bet (and who would’ve guessed Millstreet?)
Yeah, maybe she just should shut up and just sing
My preference is for Maastricht. As the cradle of the EU, Maastricht has strong symbolic value. But it’s also truly international, oozes class and joie-de-vivre and, more importantly, has all the proper facilities, I think, to host an international event as major as the Eurovision Song Contest.
I believe that Amsterdam is greatly overrated. Internationalism comes much more natural to Maastricht, in my view, due to its close proximity, geographically as well as culturally, to Belgium Germany and France. Which, I think, offers a unique opportunity for offering an entirely different profile of the Netherlands to millions of foreign viewers
Would hosting in Maastricht be taken as a political statement- by symbolically tying Eurovision to the EBU? Can imagine the Brexiteers throwing a (silly) fuss over it. Might want to avoid that- especially as not all participating countries are members of the EU
André Rieu would surely be the interval act if it came from Maastricht…
…..So, …it’s basically gonna be Rotterdam now, huh?
Hek op jou
I love when Eurovision is not organized in a capital. That’s a great chance for other cities. I was hoping they would choice Porto in 2018 and Haifa in 2019.
Or Venlo 2020
The dam of Rats
Nonna banonna
Although I agree with the fact that Amsterdam is the most suitable to host the contest in logistical terms, I strongly and unequivocally agree with the Dutch saying that there is more to The Netherlands than just Amsterdam, tulips, markets, windmills and very liberal recreational drug laws (sorry, had to put it in there). Rotterdam’s Ahoy Arena is probably the most suited and equipped to host the contest as it has hosted large scale events previously like the MTV Europe Music Awards, Blink 182, Coldplay, Snow Patrol, P!nk, Anouk and Alanis Morrisette. Just to name a few and has also… Read more »
I’m looking forward to the numerous references to these cultural tropes in the 2020 host’s comedy routines, a la Malmo 2013
Yes Azaad I hope we get that. But I suspect we’ll get Duncan doing something obtuse, like Salvador in 2018. He’ll definitely be more like that than Netta was this year.
Hey, whatever works the best. If the venue is right and the city is accommodating, more power to them. Plus, if they do what most countries do with their postcards (particularly the last two years), all those other cities will get their moment to shine too. (And, yknow, they can SAY they don’t just want tulips and canals, but I’ll bet you a lifetime supply of Stroopwaffels that they’ll show up in at least one of the postcards.) I would love to visit Amsterdam (hoping I’ll get a chance to stop by while I’m studying in the UK this fall),… Read more »
Also, not particularly related to anything, but I’ve been musing about the potential returns/debuts for next year (besides Ukraine, who we already know are coming back). Here’s what I’m thinking is the likelihood: Andorra/Catalonia: Andorra already said no, and without their support Catalonia would probably have a difficult time making a case for full EBU membership, so while it might be interesting, I doubt they’re coming back. B&H: I mean, I’d be ecstatic, and they clearly want to return, but y’know…they’re broke. So who knows? Bulgaria: Not quite as unlikely as before, but without that superstar delegation they had those… Read more »
That’s a shame. Bosnia typically sent great stuff, even in some of Eurovision’s darker years.
Bosnia and Turkey won’t be back soon.
Ukraine, next year, Bulgaria if not in 2020 then it will be in 2-3 years.
Slovakia is in a black box, but I believe they will return within 5 years.
Luxembourg…there has been talk of a possible return (I mean…official talk, not just rumours), so I wouldn’t be in shock if it really happens
Monaco, Andorra…very unlikely
Liechtenstein…maybe, but it’s going to be in a “San Marino” way.
Kosovo and Kazakhstan, they will debut in the 2020’s, I think.
Didn’t Bosnia send a circus act in 2008? If anything, it was worse then. Ignorance.
That’s a pity, I am thinking of taking my holiday in your country this year, but I can’t come until late October. What’s Sarajevo like then?
If I may be so pendantic, Joe, in the friendliest of manners: it’s ‘stroopwaFels’, really…. 🙂
Oy! My bad.
I’m half Bulgarian and half Romanian, and I can say say we hate Netherlands to our guts. Year after year the Netherlands voted for Bulgaria and Romania to be out of Schengen area. The only country that said NO. The only one.
ROFL The Netherlands got 12 tele vote points from Romania
Pepito mi corazon
Pepito de mis amores
Canta me asi
Canta me asi
Con amor
Pepito eres mi vida
Rotterdam, pls
Thank you The Netherlands for making us feel welcomed!
ef you holland, or whatever your name is. You are not hard working people, this is not the reason you are rich. Do you understand that tourists put a bread on your table?
Yet again, Netherlands is NOT ONLY Amsterdam, your trollness.
Open your eyes. Netherlands rule Banana Republics. Search for yourself. This is why they are rich and can reject very precious tourism.
The Netherlands are also a financial and industrial hub, in case you don’t know that.
ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Europe if full of bananas from Netherlands, ohhhh Aruba actually…. Banana Republic.
Shame on you Banana Republic. Where’s H a t a r i to protest?
hi 9 year old hater
Oh, TOURISTS are the reason the Dutch are rich?
I always thought it was the colonialism.
Like Tel Aviv this year, Amsterdam is just one of those cities that would really suit hosting Eurovision. It’s a laid back, open and friendly city that isn’t afraid to throw a party when necessary.
I know over-tourism is a big problem I’m Amsterdam but I still think it’s the best city for the job.
“Over-tourism” is so offensive. Send the tourists you don’t want, to Minsk, Sofia, Athens, Belgrade. Maybe these cities are not so beautiful, or “open minded”, but you need to stop saying that. Can you be more hated than Salvador Sobral? Or Jamala?
I think Rotterdam has those same open minded views- they were the first city in Western Europe to elect a Muslim mayor even before Sadiq Khan in London. Overall all the major cities in The Netherlands strike me as being very progressive and inclusive of immigrants, the LGBTQI+ community, women and fairly egalitarian, so there’ll be less cultural differences than between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
The point here is that Amsterdam is increasingly both cliché and distortion of “Dutchness”. Whatever that’s supposed to mean. Secondly, Amsterdam is already getting very much more than its fair share of major events. And believe it or not: there •are• more cities in the Netherlands that indeed boast similar facilities, infrastructure and, most importantly, charisma. And so I think it’s reasonable that one of these gets a honest stab at hosting the Eurovision Song Contest. Nationally, that would redress the balance. Internationally, it were to show that there’s more to the Netherlands than “just” Amsterdam . I have just… Read more »
Just like people who live and visit the UK do not look beyond London….and miss the gorgeous British countryside.
I’m I the only one besides Deban who really thinks Eurovision should be held in Amsterdam?
Remember how beautiful
Moscow 2009, Baku 2012, Copenhagen 2014, Vienna 2015, Stockholm 2016 and Lisbon 2018 was?!
Amsterdam is the right choice, but people complaine that turism gives too much money, and they have a problem because they don’t know what to do with so much money. It’s a problem when you have money you don’t know what to do with. It’s excruciating. Can you imagine when you just can’t decide what to buy, even when you don’t have to have 3 jobs like the rest of the e ffff ing poor part of the world? Have some compassion for 1st world countries!
“Oh boo-hoo, I’m rich 🙁 ”
PLEASE. That’s a made-up problem.
That’s a BLESSING, not a problem.
Alexa, cue “I Don’t Wanna Fight”.
https://youtu.be/ZXswKMg5V48
Don’t use my two weeks to showcase your village. Keeping it real.
Deban is that you?
Don’t be ungrateful Netherlands, tourism can feed a whole country. So many other countries would love to have tourists.
We are not ungrateful: Dutch people are happy to host Eurovision, but the inhabitants of Amsterdam have been complaining about the amount of tourists for a long time. The politicians need to listen to those complaints, so it would only make sense to give another Dutch city the chance to host Eurovision as Amsterdam will host other major events that attract even more tourists. Please, don’t be mistaken: many people think that Amsterdam is the only big city in the Netherlands, but that is not true. Rotterdam has got 600K+ inhabitants (more than Lisbon or Tel Aviv), its port is… Read more »
Pwetty pweeze
I’m from Amsterdam and I haven’t heard a single person complaining about having to host the Eurovision Song Contest next year. Speaking of tourism, also that is somehow blown out of proportion. There are some streets that locals would normally avoid just because they are so overcrowded by tourists and also there are bunch of “tourist traps” Argentinian grill restaurants and “fake” Italian places instead of something of higher quality or more interesting. But hey, we all know that and that’s not end of the world. I think the actual challenge here is how to change the public image of… Read more »
Perhaps you should also add that the Rotterdam numbers you cite, include Hoek van Holland, Botlek, Maasvlakte or Pernis (to name some wonders of what you define “Rotterdam”). Hoek van Holland is more than 30km away from the city centre. It takes longer to go with public transportation to Hoek van Holland (Rotterdam in your words) than to Amsterdam Centraal with the intercity direct. It says a lot, I would say.
I think Dutch people are usually flattered and proud when people abroad say nice about the Netherlands, and come here to visit the country. The only people who “complain” are people who live and work in the city center of Amsterdam, and I think it is quite reasonable. The city was built with narrow streets centuries ago, and at some days it’s really overcrowded, sometimes with big tour groups blocking the road, so that you can’t really walk through some streets without constantly bumping into other people. That could be frustrating if you live there and have to move around… Read more »
I understand, and I don’t want to offend anyone, but there are poor countries that don’t mind tourists pouring money into their economy. And if the streets are overcrowded, so be it!
No offence!
Well you completely ignored the second part; safety and crowd control, which might be the most important reason. Money isn’t everything. Tourism isn’t the only money source in the Netherlands. Whether there will be Eurovision or not, tourists will come here anyways. Also, we have the largest port of Europe (Rotterdam), the fourth largest port or Europe (Amsterdam), second busiest airport of Europe (Schiphol, 2018), the tech industry in Amsterdam and Brainport Eindhoven, the agriculture food export industry (NED is the second largest export country wordwide), the music industry (NED generates many DJs in the world top). Together they generate… Read more »
So f u k yourself. You don’t deserve ESC. Especially when you give us your second best…because you don’t need ESC. I want Valentina’s backyard anytime over your arrogance.
Where is the arrogance? Did you read these comments or not?
You blame the netherlands because Amsterdam says it has to many tourists? That is not fair.
With that being said, all that’s left to be said is “Ahoy, Europe!”
BINGO!!! That may very well be their slogan if they go to Rotterdam.
Amsterdam is beautiful but it is already overrun by tourists. Hosting Eurovision in Amsterdam is unnecessary. I think it was a mistake, when Eurovision 2015 was hosted in Vienna and not in Graz, Linz or Innsbruck. There is more to a country than the capital that everybody knows and it is a missed opportunity to not go there.
Ultimately, it’s less about the city and more about the venue.
Maybe. But your view seems to overrate infrastructure of the capital and, erroneously perhaps, underestimate comparable infrastructure in the provinces. Honestly, this does indeed exist.
I’m not trying to pick a fight here, Joe – honestly I’m not – but I do wonder now how familiar you are with Dutch geography beyond capital Amsterdam.
Quite
Amsterdam 2020 sounds great but I agree with the board, there’s more to the Netherlands.. Rotterdam is a lock for me, airport close by, easy transport to the center from Ahoy, lots of shops and stores, if the weather is good it’s easy to take the subway from the beat Zuidplein to the beach, a hospital closeby Ahoy just in case haha AND great gay bars that already have plans for streetparties and EuroClub venues… Rotterdam is met bet… Eurovision was never so close to my house 😀
So it looks like you’re going, eh?
Haha certainly but I would also go to Maastricht, Amsterdam or The Hague.. Rome if Italy won 😉
Everyone thought Jerusalem was a done deal; except the show had been there twice already and Tel Aviv, being the center of recreation, was long overdue for its time to shine (not to mention Nadav’s song foretold its turn to host).
It is always assumed by many that the capital city will host. In this case, I will give Netta a mulligan, because she, like so many others, had no idea how busy Amsterdam will be with other events next May. That, of course, leaves Rotterdam, especially when you consider that they have never hosted the contest.
Had they hosted in Jerusalem, it would have invited the mother of all backlash and the boycott would have attracted a lot more support given its disputed status. The fact that Tel Aviv is a far more Eurovision friendly city and had yet to host were added benefits.
Neither Amsterdam nor Rotterdam have the fundamental flaws that Jerusalem has when it comes to hosting Eurovision, in terms of its demographics and politics. So the decision on who gets to host can be determined by other factors.
Aye. Iceland was pining for a boycott if Jerusalem had been selected. Notice how quickly they submitted their participation papers once Tel Aviv got the nod?
As for Amsterdam, they have a truckload of events next May, yes? If it’s already crowded new, imagine how packed it will be in April AND May, if Eurovision goes there.
I like the thought of next year’s slogan being “Ahoy There!” or “Ahoy, Europe!” It goes very well with the venue in which Rotterdam will host the contest if they are selected.
Yup. With Amsterdam staying out of the fray, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ahoy, right now, is looking for carpenters, electricians and techies to assist in the construction of the Eurovision 2020 stage and the green room. It looks all but certain that the show will be going to Rotterdam for the first time.
Off topic I know but did you hear that Freshtorge wants to represent San Marino in 2020?
He’s so untalented und yucky he shouldn’t even represent himself.
Clearly he’s trolling
I don’t even know who that person is… although judging by the other replies, seems like I’m not missing much.
It’s obviously going to be Rotterdam, but why not mix it up – hold one semi in one place, the second in another and the final in a major city. – a bit like melodifestivalen or next years Euros. It wouldn’t be that difficult for fans to get to each city and you’d get to see more of the country… tulips and all!
I think EBU mandates one host city per contest- it’s not like every country is as interconnected as The Netherlands
All the cities are way too small for Eurovision and have no capacity for the visitors. Amsterdam and Rotterdam are the only “big” cities and both only have 1 million inhabitants. Also, you can’t force tourism on random places, there’s a reason certain places are touristic.. All these small town have nothing to offer for Eurovision visitors. As Amsterdam is being a sour bitch (I live there and get sick of the negativity) about tourism the only other serious option is Rotterdam. But also there not much to do and see, and not enough hotels. Luckily Netherlands is small so… Read more »
This comment is the embodiment of dutch stereotypes about people from Amsterdam xD
I agree. Otto’s post a school example of Randstad bias How terribly blinkered.
Millstreet send their regards.
Wow Amsterdam have a LOT on their plate. If those events can’t be moved, I’d rather the contest to go a city where it would be the number one event on the calendar and so could receive proper attention from the city’s local government.
“is already struggling with the pressure of large numbers of visitors.”
…so many places want to be able to say this. You are blessed!
So it’s R’dam.
Not necessarily, no. The last word obviously not yet said.
I’m glad they’re going for less touristy places. It would allow for the Dutch to showcase more of their beautiful country and give the host city revenue.