ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses different actors in the tourist cluster of Amsterdam, as well as their mutual relations, and the dynamics of the cluster. The cluster is put in the broader context of the economic, social and spatial structure of the Amsterdam region. The chapter sketches a profile of this region and discusses the relevant characteristics and developments of tourism in general. It describes the various actors of the cluster and their spatial spread over the city. The chapter also analyses and judges the strategic relations between those actors. This analysis will be confronted with the framework. The tourist cluster of Amsterdam consists of many actors. The main actors can be classified under three headings: firms; research and education institutes; and marketing and promotion organisations. The city of Amsterdam is aware that there are negative elements to tourism. Some parts of the city centre are so dominated by tourism that businesses and citizens complain about it.
