The message launched by the capital is primarily aimed at young British men, many of whom take to the streets of the city, whose behavior had already been singled out in the past.
“Stay away.” The Municipality of Amsterdam announced on Tuesday launching a campaign called Stay Away (“stay away”) to discourage tourists from going there just to party, consume alcohol or drugs and visit the famous Red Light District. Because in the Netherlands, the consumption of several drugs, such as cannabis, is legal, as is prostitution.
“The campaign will be launched this week and will initially target British men aged 18 to 35”, strongly represented in the streets of the capital, and already criticized for their behavior in the past specifies the press release.
This campaign will then target visitors from the Netherlands and other EU countries who are likely to cause nuisance.
“Do you really want to come to Amsterdam for a night of debauchery?”
The principle of this campaign is that those who type in a search engine terms such as “bachelor party Amsterdam”, “cheap hotel Amsterdam” and “bar crawls Amsterdam”, will receive warning messages. Several videos will be broadcast, launching messages of deterrence.
“Coming to Amsterdam for a night of debauchery and a binge is 140 euro fines and a criminal record means less prospect for the future,” one of the clips can read, “so you want really coming to Amsterdam for a night of debauchery? Don’t come any closer.”
“These ads will show the risks and consequences of antisocial behavior and excessive drug and alcohol use, such as a fine, police arrest, criminal record, hospitalization and health damage” , explained the municipality.
Of course, “visitors will remain welcome, but not if they misbehave and cause nuisance,” said Sofyan Mbarki, deputy mayor.
From previous campaigns
The Dutch capital has stepped up measures in recent years to fight crime and nuisance in its city center, which is particularly popular with young tourists for bachelor parties and bar hopping.
In 2018, a campaign Enjoy and Respect (“Appreciate and respect”) had thus been broadcast, encouraging tourists to be careful of the city, under penalty of receiving heavy fines.
It is also not the first time that British tourists have been singled out in the capital. In 2014, the mayor of Amsterdam Eberhard van der laan invited the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to come and see what his fellow citizens were capable of abroad, reminds the BBC.
“They are dressed as rabbits or priests and sometimes they are not dressed at all”, had launched the mayor.
In an effort to change its image and curb excessive behavior, Amsterdam recently announced a ban on smoking cannabis on the streets of the Red Light District, a measure coupled with tighter restrictions on alcohol and an earlier weekend closure of cafes, bars, restaurants and brothels.
