The city has a reputation as a place where “anything goes” because of its lax attitude toward sex, drugs, and alcohol. This has been exploited by tourists and is now a problem. Authorities are now trying to reclaim the city for its citizens by asking some tourists to “Stay Away”.
Sofyan Mbarki, the deputy mayor of Amsterdam, has stressed the importance of taking action. “Action is needed to prevent nuisance and overcrowding. Amsterdam is a world city, and bustle and liveliness come along with this, but to keep our city liveable, we need to choose limits instead of irresponsible growth.”
The “Stay Away” campaign will attempt to reduce the number of visitors in the spring of 2023 by discouraging several popular recreational activities. The following types of tourists will be limited from entering:
Cannabis And Drug Tourists
Amsterdam is known for its coffee shops where patrons can buy and consume marijuana and other “soft drugs.” There are 92 coffee shops in the city center alone.
The city has put up some ideas to deter marijuana and drug tourism. Smoking cannabis on the street in tourist zones can be banned by ordinance. Even stricter measures could be taken, such as banning sales on weekends in the red light district.
Batchelor Parties
One of the most popular places for bachelor parties in Europe are the streets of Amsterdam. An accessible sex business coexists with a lively bar scene in the city’s famous red-light district.
The city aims to discourage this type of visitors by mandating earlier closing times for bars and brothels and banning organized pub crawls.
Sex Tourists
In Amsterdam, prostitution is allowed and has been regulated by the Dutch government for more than 20 years. Because of this, the city is now a popular destination for sex tourism worldwide, which has led to a thriving sex industry. The red light district houses sex stores, brothels, peep shows and strip clubs.
Plans for early closing hours and restrictions on businesses in the red light district are intended to signal to sex tourists that they are no longer welcome in the city.
Overtourism
Authorities in Amsterdam are taking steps to curb overtourism and avoid unwanted visitors. By introducing a cap on tourists, they are trying to limit the total number of visitors to 20 million. A tourist tax may also be introduced, as well as restrictions on popular river cruises and guided group tours. Regulations on short-term rentals are also to be tightened.