Amsterdam says visit, but behave
It is not a problem many vacation destinations spend much effort worrying about or money trying to fix: the wrong kind of tourist.
But that is the challenge increasingly faced by Amsterdam, where visitor numbers have shot up more than 60 per cent in the past decade, bolstered by low-cost flights, cheap accommodation and the ease of travelling across open European borders.
With its centuries-old canals, vibrant historic centre and flourishing art scene, Amsterdam takes pride in its cultural riches. But there is a growing perception that some who come to the city are more interested in less high-minded pursuits — namely, marijuana and prostitution, both of which are largely legal — and may be doing more harm than good.
Other destinations have struggled under the sheer weight of visitors: the Galapagos Islands; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and Venice have all expressed concern about “overtourism,” with technology, including apps like Airbnb, often cited as a driver of the problem.
But in Amsterdam, it is not just the number of tourists that pose a problem. It’s how they behave.
Officials are trying to address the issue. Femke Halsema, the new mayor, visited the red-light district in the De Wallen section of the city in July, the month after she took office.
Soon after, her administration announced measures intended to curb misconduct.
They include on-the-spot collection of fines as high as $209 (Canadian) for public urination, drunkenness or excessive noise (enforcement agents will be equipped with hand-held devices to take card payments); rigorous street cleaning; and the hiring of additional “hosts,” or security workers in orange Tshirts, who are trained to give information and remind people of the rules, which include no drinking in the streets and no photographing prostitutes.
Mascha ten Bruggencate, a city administrator who has been tasked with carrying out the new policies, said there was an obvious place to start. “The red-light district is symbolic of the problem,” she said.
On a recent Saturday night, Stoofsteeg, an alley in the district lined by red-lighted windows, was so crowded with tourists gawking at the women on show that walking 50 yards or so took at least 15 minutes of pushing and shuffling. A couple with a stroller gave up after a few minutes. Last year, 20 million tourists visited Amsterdam. During the busiest times of the weekend, as many as 6,000 visitors can pass through that alley — or attempt to — every hour, according to city estimates.
Residents have complained that there are not enough police officers to guarantee everyone’s safety, and that De Wallen is now so overcrowded that ambulances have a difficult time reaching the injured or ill.
Arre Zuurmond, the city’s ombudsman, described the scene as a lawless urban jungle, in an interview with the newspaper Trouw published in July.
The prostitutes complain that the throngs of tourists deter paying customers.