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Best travel ads this week: Holland argues it’s cooler than Brooklyn
TransportTrave ads seek to inspire and excite viewers into booking a trip. The methods used to elicit such sentiments include fast-paced music, flashy images, and emotional voiceovers; and ultimately they aim to convince viewers that a better time is just a plane ride away. This week Holland defends its traditional way of life as the [...]
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Dutch cyclists celebrate victory over Rijksmuesum: Bicycle path to remain
DestinationsGuards removed the final barriers blocking the way, and a cheer went up from the crowd. Moments later, a small army mounted on bicycles of all shapes and sizes eagerly stormed the path that leads straight through the heart of the Netherlands’ newly renovated national museum. Their bells were ringing all the way. It has [...]
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What does Amsterdam’s airport know that Europe’s other airports don’t?
TransportSkytrax released its annual World Airport Awards this week with one airport taking an impressive leap to the top. Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport shook up the top three regime for the first time in six years to take its spot as the world’s third-best airport following Singapore Changi and Incheon International. It was also the only non-Asian airport in the [...]
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Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum opens after 10 years, $500 million of renovations
DestinationsVincent van Gogh once said that he could sit in front of Rembrandt’s “Jewish Bride” in Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum for a fortnight with just a crust of bread to eat. It would be interesting to know what he would have made of the lavishly renovated and remodeled Rijksmuseum, which is reopening after a decade-long restoration — [...]
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Amsterdam clamps down on illegal rentals, Airbnb and peers fear chain reaction
DestinationsFollowing legal issues across the US, Airbnb is facing serious conflicts with the local government in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. …things appear to be escalating quickly: reports are surfacing that next week a team of civil servants will go out on the streets to look for illegal hotel activities. This isn’t an isolated issue [half of Airbnb's listings in New [...]
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The “missing link” in Europe’s high-speed rail network out of service one month after launch
DestinationsThe new Fyra train connecting Amsterdam and Brussels was called the “missing link” in Europe’s high-speed rail network when it was proudly unveiled. Now the Italian-built trains are missing in action. Technical problems have dogged the trains — which can go 250 kph (155 mph) — since they came into service last month. That has [...]
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The Netherlands gets softer in its stand against tourists smoking dope
DestinationsThe new Dutch government is scrapping a planned “weed pass” designed to keep foreigners out of the nation’s cannabis-selling coffee shops. In the south of the country, beginning earlier this year, locals had to apply for a pass to get into such shops but non-Dutch residents were barred, in an effort to crack down on [...]
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Why Denver won’t tout marijuana tourism to become the next Amsterdam
DestinationsDespite the passage of Amendment 64 —which made Colorado the first state to legalize small amounts of marijuana for recreational use— marijuana tourism is not on the agenda for state boosters. The new law…was opposed by most Colorado lawmakers. Richard Scharf, president of Visit Denver and chairman of the Colorado Tourism Office, warned that passage [...]
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Coffee shops in Amsterdam won’t stop selling pot to tourists, says city mayor
DestinationsAmsterdam’s famous coffee shops will remain open for business with foreign thrill-seekers despite the new government’s plan to restrict sales to locals only, the mayor said on Thursday. In an interview with the leftist Volkskrant, Eberhard van der Laan said the city’s 220 coffee shops will continue to sell pot to customers even if they [...]
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Dutch tourism could be hurt by marijuana ban, but enforcement left to the cities
DestinationsThe incoming Dutch government has ditched plans for a national “weed pass” that would have been available only to residents and that would have effectively banned tourists from Amsterdam’s marijuana cafes. However, under a provisional governing pact unveiled this week, cities can bar foreigners from weed shops if they choose. The pact says that it [...]
