Authorities in Bruges are taking steps to limit the number of tourists due to overcrowding fears.
Around 8.3million tourists poured into the small Belgian city in 2018 – population 117,260 – a surge of 900,000 compared to 2017, with six million of them just day-trippers.
City mayor Dirk De fauw says Bruges is in danger of becoming like ‘Disneyland’ unless it slows the flow of visitors and he has introduced a raft of measures to bring this about.
These include the city’s tourist board revoking advertising campaigns for Bruges in places such as Brussels and Paris to deter day-trippers from visiting.
A cap has also been introduced on cruise ships, meaning only two can dock at a time rather then five.
In addition, these vessels are being encouraged to dock during the week, rather than at weekends.
City authorities are also set to ask the Flemish government if it can ban ‘monotonous tourist shops’ from opening in order to preserve the city’s diversity and character.
Meanwhile the mayor confirmed he would continue to deny applications to allow kayaking or extra large boats to tour Bruges’ canals.
He told Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad:
“We have to control the influx more if we don’t want it to become a complete Disneyland here.”