47 Amsterdam business and cultural figures oppose tourist-tax rise

Gunay Uslu, the departing chief executive of travel company Corendon, has asked Amsterdam to suspend a planned increase in its tourist tax. She and 46 other figures from the cultural, hospitality and events sectors warn that the increase could compound a national VAT rise and make visitors more likely to stay outside the city.

In a letter to Amsterdam’s municipal authorities, the group says higher accommodation prices could push some visitors to sleep elsewhere while still coming into the city during the day. That, they argue, could leave them spending less on culture, events and hospitality businesses.

“Amsterdam is pricing itself out of the market in the wrong way,” the signatories write. Among them are hospitality entrepreneur Won Yip and Paul Riemens, chief executive of the RAI Amsterdam convention centre.

The letter presents the potential consequences as a warning; the report does not give details of the proposed tax increase or quantify its likely effects. Uslu, a former state secretary for culture and media, was recently reported to be leaving her role at Corendon.