Travelling with Ms. Maya Janssen - Managing Director Insights and Marketing Strategy, amsterdam&partners

o start with, how would you define tourism mobility in Amsterdam and the metropolitan region?

“The short definition of tourism mobility includes all the movements from one destination to another and within destinations. The broader definition includes all the movements and the impacts on the environment and the social and cultural environment.”

Could you elaborate on how sustainable tourism mobility is viewed and defined by Amsterdam?

“Sustainable mobility is closely related to a sustainable visitor economy. It encompasses all forms of movement that reduce the impacts on nature, climate, or society while promoting positive social, cultural and environmental benefits. So, mobility seems to reduce its negative impacts while stimulating the positive aspects of travel.”

Which challenges are you facing in supporting sustainable tourism mobility in the area?

“Sustainability is a big challenge for a lot of destinations. In Amsterdam, we have a big ambition: we aim to achieve a 60% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030 (compared to 1990) and achieve zero CO2 emissions by 2050. Additionally, we aim to operate within designated zero-emissions zones.

However, this transition comes with challenges. Amsterdam is a small city, with limited space and high mobility demands in certain areas. If we want to shift to sustainable transport modes, for instance by creating more biking lanes, then we need space – this is a big challenge. Investments are another key challenge. This transformation demands funding, technology and in-house expertise.

Behavioural change among visitors to the city and the metropolitan region is equally important. We all know that changing behaviour is a huge, and important challenge. We need local government support, information and communication.”

You pointed to several challenges: technology, investments, behavioural change and governance. How do amsterdam&partners respond to these challenges?

“Governance is a huge challenge as it involves collective ownership and engagement from a wide range of stakeholders: residents, entrepreneurs, institutions, knowledge partners and the local government are responsible for policy making and evaluation. amsterdam&partners is a frontrunner in this change process. As an organisation we have a central position among stakeholders related to tourism and recreation, including residents. We bring together many people to discuss how we can address these challenges and identify solutions to achieve sustainable mobility and a sustainable future overall.”

Can you tell more about the co-creation process and the coordination amongst these different stakeholders in the city?

“There are many stakeholders in tourism, and the fragmentation of the sector is, in general, very large. Within the local government, policy departments such as infrastructure, economic affairs, or social affairs all must come together to create solutions for a sustainable future and for sustainable mobility within that future.

For example, we have a Sustainable Task Force, that includes stakeholders like KLM, public transport companies, the hotel sector and large attractions. We hold discussions on a regular base about the challenges facing the city and metropolitan area.

We are seeking collaboration and co-creation with the local government to work on these challenges together. We aim for a situation where the local government develops policies based on discussions with many stakeholders to ascertain a broad support base of the policy outcomes.”

Where does the city currently stand in terms of integrating these various sectors, particularly tourism, into the broader mobility framework?

“We are working on it. It is an interesting discussion because we want to encourage people not to take the car instead walk, bike or use public transport. To do that, you need to have sufficient public transport options. If you look at the metropolitan area, many institutions or centres are not accessible by public transport. At the same time, as most people rely on cars and there are not enough passengers on certain public transport routes, investments are not directed there. We have a ‘chicken and egg’ situation. We need a clear vision and investment, otherwise change will not happen.”

We can approach sustainable tourism mobility from two different angles. One is local mobility, which we have just discussed, and another perspective is travelling to the Netherlands and Amsterdam. Amsterdam is keen on changing its image and has been very clear on the type of visitors that the city does not want to attract. In terms of emissions, travel distance is a key driver. What do you think about proximity versus long-haul markets?

“I don't think that Amsterdam faces a major problem in this regard because we're not an island in the ocean, and we are surrounded by many nearby countries. About 10% of our international visitors come from the U.S. and a minor percentage from the East-Asian countries. In the Metropolitan area, this percentage is even lower. Of course, we agree that long-haul flights are the most polluting form of travel. To reduce emissions from tourism mobility, it's very important to reduce the share of long-haul flights.

However, there is a paradox: many visitors from the U.S. are very important to our cultural institutions. We value their presence, but we also advocate for longer stays rather than short trips.

In general, we stimulate sustainable mobility and encourage visitors to take the train when possible. For medium-distance travel, we need better train connections including night trains and high-speed trains. Progress has been made, but there is still much work to be done. These are difficult discussions. We try to promote sustainable alternatives to all international visitors. Our current approach is that if you come from far away, using a long-haul flight, then stay longer – we are trying to influence this behaviour.”

How are you doing this: through communication campaigns?

“We provide information on sustainable modes of transport via all our offline and online channels. We collaborate with public transport companies, national and international operators such as GVB, Dutch Railways and the Deutsche Bahn. Sustainable transport modes are also integrated into our I Amsterdam City Card. We use all available channels to make our products and services as sustainable as possible. At the same time, I believe, legislation is crucial to make a change.”

Coming back to local mobility and tourism mobility: to what extent are tourism and leisure integrated into mobility planning in Amsterdam and the metropolitan region?

“This is happening more and more. For example, two weeks ago, we had a meeting with the municipality’s infrastructure and mobility departments. What stands out is that a lot remains unknown. While some research is available, we still do not have enough facts. In Amsterdam, we make assumptions about the tourist usage of public transport, but we do not have definitive figures.

There is still much to learn about the factors influencing public transport usage - such as when people choose public transport when they take the bike, how they combine modes or when they leave the car at a park & ride facility. Everything is becoming more integrated.

The tourism sector is part of economic affairs and sometimes it still feels like a silo. These silos should be better connected.”

Data is crucial for decision-making. What data can you currently work with, if any? Where do you source it from?

“Achieving sustainable mobility is about people because mobility is about people moving from one place to another. Cars do not move on their own, and buses exist to bring people to their destinations. To succeed, we need to know more about their travel motives: Why do they choose certain transport modes? What routes do they take and when do they travel?

There is also a logistical approach, where we look at all forms of mobility and available transport modes: How do people move and what routes do they take through the city? While we know some of the factors influencing people’s choices, much is still unknown. The main difficulty is that it requires information or data from various partners. We have Uber, taxis, public transport, rail, and the airport, but not all the stakeholders are willing to share this data.”

If I understand you well, currently there is a gap in available data.

“Indeed, there is a gap, and the question is: whose responsibility is it to collect this data? We are not a mobility platform, so if we want to move towards to sustainable mobility, who collects all this data? The local government? The mobility department? What is interesting is that this question came up during our recent meeting I mentioned. Everybody agreed on the need for data collection, but there was no clear answer on how to organise it.”

In your view, is tourism considered an important market from a mobility perspective?

“It is just beginning and steadily growing. We have been invited to the table because they understand that the tourism sector is an important player. While it is not always at the forefront due to its large variety of all small stakeholders, when a large challenge arises, then it is addressed. For example, everybody is aware of the issue of tour buses, but that is just a small part of tourism. There are also boats on the water, canal boats and river cruises. As we consider these challenges, it is becoming more and more clear that the tourism sector is also a key part of mobility, and, therefore of the sustainable mobility movement.”

Clearly, there is a need for data, coordination and collaboration. Are there any other opportunities that you see for further action that could contribute to sustainable tourism mobility?

“I think we are heading in the right direction. For example, the Sustainable Economy Taskforce, with all its partners, provides us with a more proactive role. In local public space projects, we are actively involved in discussions, providing input for a sustainable vision.

However, there is still room for improvement. We need more data and a clearer vision for sustainable tourism mobility because mobility is a very important part of our sector. We must believe in the need for change and commit to tackling the challenges that will bring us closer to a sustainable future and sustainable mobility.”

My last question is: what is your vision for the future of tourism mobility?

“The mobility and tourism sectors are deeply intertwined. The most sustainable option would be not to travel at all as that eliminates movement - but that is not a realistic approach. The vision is to create a sustainable visitor economy and there can be no sustainable economy without sustainable mobility.”