As 'overtourism' swamps Amsterdam, Dutch capital pushes back

AMSTERDAM (AP) - Hordes of tourists are derailing daily life in parts of historic Amsterdam. Visitors clog the city's narrow streets. Stores catering only to tourists edge out shops for locals.

Every weekend, the heart of the city is overrun by foreigners in strip joints and seedy bars. They gawk at prostitutes in the red-light district and jam cafes where marijuana is permitted.

It's not just tourists on budget airlines, staying at cheap hostels and hotels. Add crowds of day-trippers from cruise ships and Airbnb guests dragging suitcases along cobbled streets.

But the city is pushing back. Changes Amsterdam has enacted or is considering: halting hotel construction; banning "beer bikes," which are pedal-powered bars; shifting the cruise ship terminal out of the city center and outlawing new shops for tourists in some areas.