Framing of Amsterdam tourism in Dutch newspapers from 2000 to 2020
Project goal
This project examines how tourism in Amsterdam was framed in Dutch newspapers between 2000 and 2020. Framing refers to the recurring ways in which media present a topic: simplifying complex processes and shaping how the public understands societal issues.
The study also looks at how this representation changed over time, influenced by municipal policies and shifting perspectives of residents on tourism. By mapping these changes, the research explores how media narratives both reflect and shape public opinion.
The project builds on the database and insights developed in the SMARTDEST project, which focused on finding innovative solutions to conflicts and externalities caused by tourism-related mobility in cities. Using this extensive media dataset, the research focuses on the period 2000–2020, during which public debate on urban tourism intensified significantly.
During these years, visitor numbers increased rapidly, affecting retail, hospitality, and housing. Living costs rose, and the character and appearance of neighborhoods changed. As a result, tourism shifted from being primarily an economic issue to a broader societal debate about livability and urban balance.
Research approach
This project is a collaboration between two research groups at Inholland:
- New Urban Tourism
- Inclusion and the Creative Industries
The study uses a discourse-analytical perspective, examining how language, images, and communication shape reality.
The analysis is based on newspaper articles from five key years: 2000, 2009, 2015, 2019, and 2020. These articles are coded by researchers and student assistants to identify key themes, which are then validated by the research team.
By combining expertise in media studies, tourism studies, and urban development, the project offers a multidisciplinary understanding of complex issues such as tourism and urban change.
Results
The study shows a clear shift in media narratives over time:
- 2000–2009: focus on growth and promotion
- 2015: increasing ambivalence and perceived nuisance
- 2019: overtourism becomes the dominant frame
- 2020: moralized debates on ownership, class, and loss of “freedom”
Three overarching narratives stand out:
- Who has the right to claim the city
- How the idea of the “quality tourist” revived class distinctions
- How nostalgia for Amsterdam’s tolerant identity shaped the debate
The research highlights that media do not just report reality—they actively shape interpretations. Media framing influences which policy responses appear legitimate, urgent, or necessary. In Amsterdam, policymakers responded strongly to these media narratives, underlining their political impact.
Rather than treating overtourism as a given, the study shows how it was constructed over time through discourse.
Relevance
For researchers and students, the project provides a clear example of discourse analysis and insights into the interaction between media, identity, and governance.
For policymakers and tourism professionals, it encourages critical reflection on current debates and invites thinking beyond dominant frames.