Some places tempt visitors by waiving visa requirements and freely giving airline tickets.
But Amsterdam has an issue with too many tourists – and it’s now telling some visitors, namely British male tourists aged between 18 and 35, to “stay away” in the event that they are going into the town for drugs or parties.
Amsterdam local authorities launched an internet campaign within the UK this month to stop ‘nuisance visitors’ Press Release last week.
According to data, Amsterdam received around 360,000 visitors from the UK in 2020 statistics.
The “Stay Away” campaign is targeting visitors who use online search terms corresponding to “Amsterdam stag night”, “Amsterdam pub crawl” or “Amsterdam low-cost hotel” by showing them warning ads, authorities said. The ads depict the risks and consequences of “excessive drug and alcohol abuse,” authorities added.
According to Statista, hotels in Amsterdam recorded around 1.75 million international arrivals and 1.1 million domestic arrivals in 2021.
Kenzo Tribouillard | AFP | Getty Images
One video commercial warns viewers that “Arriving in Amsterdam for a grimy night + being poured in the rubbish = €140 nice”, alongside footage of police handcuffing a young man. Other video it shows a person being taken away on a stretcher, accompanied by the text “Coming to Amsterdam for drugs + Losing control = Going to hospital”.
Local authorities have said they may extend the campaign to tourists from the Netherlands and other EU countries all year long.
Hotels in Amsterdam recorded around 1.75 million international arrivals and 1.1 million domestic arrivals in 2021. statistics.
The fight against excessive tourism
The campaign is just one among many actions that Amsterdam is taking to combat overtourism and attract various kinds of tourists.
The ‘How to Amsterdam’ campaign, which can launch this month, will use social media and hotel facilities to alert visitors to unacceptable behavior in the town, corresponding to being drunk and disorderly and buying drugs from street dealers, authorities said.
The city too announced in February, latest measures within the red light district to “reduce nuisance and crime.” These include a ban on smoking marijuana on the road, reduced alcohol sales and the early closing of bars, clubs and sex establishments on weekends, authorities said.
In 2021, Amsterdam’s mayor and councilors agreed plans to shut the red light district and create a “sex hub” away from the town center, The Guardian reported.
However, Amsterdam must do “much more” in the approaching years “to make sure that tourism has a sustainable place in our city,” Deputy Mayor Sofyan Mbarki said in a press release.
“Amsterdam is a metropolis that embraces hustle and bustle, but to ensure that our city to live, we now decide to set boundaries as a substitute of allowing irresponsible growth,” he said.
