The car road-free restriction means that tourists and its roughly 2,600 residents get around by bicycle, foot, or boat, according to National Geographic and World Atlas.
Source: National Geographic, World Atlas
There are more than 55 miles of canals and over 180 wooden foot arch bridges to aid in travel, according to Condé Nast Traveler.
Source: Condé Nast Traveler
The idyllic, picturesque village has caught the attention of tourists who have been flocking to the canal-filled “Venice of the Netherlands.”
"The downside to this is of course that you’ll be sharing the water [with a] million boats steered by clueless unlicensed boaters," Christina Guan of Happy to Wander wrote in a blog post about her visit to Giethoorn.
Source: Happy to Wander
These tourists have been causing congestion in the waterways that locals need to use as a form of transportation.
Village residents started complaining, even writing a letter to the municipal council demanding immediate action against “nuisance perpetrators in the picturesque canals," reported the regional publication RTC Oost.
Source: RTC Oost
Locals stated that visitors were sailing too fast, some under the influence of alcohol and some without the proper permits. Other drivers were too young, and some sailed in the wrong direction.
"Because water safety is at stake and because the municipality simply has a duty to act when someone breaks the rules," the residents wrote in the letter.
All homeowners who owned bridges along the parts of the canals frequented by tourists were eligible for collision protection.
Villagers reportedly have a “love-hate relationship” with the tourists, NOS reported. While tourism helps the local economy, they also walk through the residents’ private property.
Source: NOS
