Amsterdam is famous for many reasons. Its canals, beautiful architecture, ‘coffee’ shops, Anne Frank and of course its infamous red light district. Have you ever been? A whopping 19 million tourists packed in to the narrow streets of the city just last year alone and due to its ever increasing popularity the government are continually looking for ways to curb the numbers of visitors which they say are becoming unsustainable.
One of the first steps put in to place earlier this year was a tourist tax of 8 euros per person per day which is already having the desired effect with MSC cruises aswell as Cruise & Maritime both pulling Amsterdam from their itineraries in a bid to avoid the tax, much to the frustration and anger of their clients as they now dock .
Tours are also being limited, all guides must now have special permits and accreditation and group sizes must be reduced to 15 to 20 people. Guided tour participants will also need to pay an additional fee. These changes, which are still being finalised are planned to take effect from January 1st 2020.
The biggy for Amsterdam and perhaps alot of visitors who are drawn to the city for just this, is the banning of ALL tours of the Red Light district as part of an effort to address congestion in the city caused by tourists but also out of respect for the sex workers who say that the tours have a negative impact on their business.
Each week it is reported that more than 1000 guided tour groups pass through Oudekerksplein, the Red Light Districts main square and during peak hours more than 25 groups can crowd the area at any one time disturbing businesses and residents of the square. From April this year guides will have to end tours by 7pm as opposed to 11pm previously, but from January 1st 2020 the full ban will take affect and tours will no longer be permitted.
Deputy Mayor Udo Kock said in a statement “We are banning tours that take visitors along sex workers’ windows, not only because we want to prevent overcrowding in the Red Light District, but also because it is not respectful to sex workers. It is outdated to treat sex workers as a tourist attraction.”
Seems fair enough doesn’t it? You will of course still be able to visit the Red Light District, but not as part of a group or organised cruise line or company excursion.
What do you think? Are Amsterdam right in their tactics to reduce tourism in the city?