Amsterdam is launching a new campaign to warn young Britons who intend to cause… trouble in the Dutch city will face the consequences.

The online campaign, which was launched this week, will be activated when Britons search for words like “bachelor party in Amsterdam”, “cheap hotel in Amsterdam” and “hangout in Amsterdam”. Warning video ads will appear describing the dangers as well as the consequences of excessive alcohol and drug use such as fines, tarnished convictions, hospitalization and permanent health damage.

The campaign will first start in the UK and then expand to the Netherlands and other countries. There will also be a “How to Behave in Amsterdam” campaign with posters on the streets and in hotel lobbies, with hosts reminding guests to respect manners.

Campagnevideo Stay Away version 1 by Gemeente Amsterdam on Vimeo.

Amsterdam is one of the most touristic cities in the world. Approximately 20 million visitors, one million of whom are British, visit the city of approximately 883,000 people each year.

“Paradise” from 18 to 35 years.

Britons between the ages of 18 and 35 and Dutch of the same age tend to cause the most trouble in the red-light district, where bachelor parties, bar crawls and late-night binges with booze and drugs create life, according to Amsterdam authorities. unbearable for the citizens.

Brits can find a return flight to Amsterdam for £50 (€57, $62). British travel agencies also offer bachelor weekends in Amsterdam, including canal boat cruises with unlimited booze, steak and strip nights and pub crawls in the famous red-light district.

This is not a new phenomenon. Nearly a decade ago, the then mayor of Amsterdam invited Boris Johnson (then mayor of London), who called the city “miserable”, to see for himself what the British were doing.

Reactions

But there has also been backlash against the campaign, with sex workers planning Thursday to protest the earlier closure and plan to partially move the red-light district to a “sex center” elsewhere.

Marco Lemmers, managing director of Conscious Hotels, who is involved in the campaign for responsible tourism, said he would have preferred a more positive campaign like the one in Switzerland. “We could show the guests that they will only get in trouble if they behave in a certain way, with a bit of humor, but not treat everyone who comes here for the wedding as criminals!” he said, adding: “Did the authorities in Amsterdam take into account the potential collateral damage for the Netherlands as a whole?”

Source: BBC, Guardian.