Conclusion

The current situation revolving around mass tourism and the linked resident discontent in Amsterdam has shown to be complex. The apparent opposite interests of the different stakeholders in the ecosystem often collide and therefore we needed to approach the topic from a holistic perspective incorporating the social, economic and political dynamics at play.

Our research showed that the residents in the city centre of Amsterdam, specifically two resident associations which incorporate features of think-tanks and pressure groups, perceive the change induced by mass tourism as a manageable challenge and try to act upon it in a constructive ways. We followed these groups' actions to understand how citizens come together to respond to feelings of alienation in their home environment. The perception of broken balance in the city has been explored at length by examining how the resident associations define and offer solutions for it. We concentrated on the meaning of the term balance, widely used throughout their discourse, in an effort to comprehend where they believe themselves to stand and where they wish to be in the future. However, according to our findings, the use of such central term has been ambiguous, which may compromise the effectiveness of their overall message, their ability to further engage people and therefore attain their goals.

Our process took us from concepts of touristification and Disneyfication of places to the ways places adapt and change in the form of gentrification and the social shifts that arise from it. Our fieldwork directed us into the concept of liveability, as our stakeholders often lamented its perceived decline. However, our understanding of how residents of the city centre perceive the issue of liveability is limited to that of the resident associations who are actively taking actions and looking for solutions. That may not be entirely representative of the diverse and multicultural population of Amsterdam.

While we considered our stakeholders' positions in great depth, we are also aware that their material and messages are intended for a domestic and local audience of residents that experience the flows of tourism on a daily basis and thus, we might not have been fully aware of the more nuanced political and social dynamics that accompany citizen activism in a city like Amsterdam.

Further question that can arise from this study would be to explore how the local political infrastructure has responded and continues to respond to this type of action pressure.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all the people that have helped us in conducting our research and producing this website. A heap of gratitude goes out to our mentor Eliana, for guiding us through this immensely challenging process. Her strict but fair approach kept us on our toes and focused on the path ahead. Her unwavering support helped us overcome the non-trivial challenges of group work. Further, to Antonio for popping up as a guest during our meetings and lifting our productivity levels through the roof. His insightful contributions guided us towards Eureka moments in our discussions. Last but not least we would like to express extensive appreciation to our stakeholders, Amsterdam in Progress and Wij-Amsterdam, for their friendly and generous cooperation with our research.