THE European city most famed for its hedonistic behaviour is staging an unusual fightback in the form of a friendly quiz that lets tourists know what to expect should they visit.
‘Want to go on a pub crawl in Amsterdam?’, the online game asks. You are out of luck I’m afraid as ‘It is forbidden to organise and participate in pub crawls,’ the perhaps unwelome reply comes.
‘Would you like to explore the city with a drink or a spliff/joint in your hand?’. Again the computer says no. Fancy a stag do? ‘That’s going to be a hassle, it is forbidden to organise stag parties in Amsterdam,’ comes back the answer from the Amsterdam Rules Quiz.
Don’t even think about sleeping in your car or a guided tour among sex workers’ windows as both of these are a big no no, according to the Dutch quizmaster.
The city has been struggling with unruly, mostly British, tourists causing a nuisance and officials have tried a number of different ways to deter rowdy revellers. In recent years the city has geo-targeted ads, banned smoking and drinking in the streets and has even tried to stop ‘cannabis tourists’, with the mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, attempting to ban non-residents in coffee shops.
The city, which is also famed for its art galleries and museums, has traditionally attracted tourists to its more seedy side, which reportedly has made life for residents ‘hell’, prompting these attempts to deter troublemakers.
Despite the recent campaigns the city has been overwhelmed with post-pandemic tourism, which has led to this new approach.
Sofyan Mbarki, the deputy mayor of Amsterdam, told a council meeting, as reported by the Guardian: “The website needs to debunk associations that party tourists have about letting loose in Amsterdam, for example, with questions like: ‘What famous Dutch products would you like to try? Cocaine?’”
The head of the local Christian Democratic Appeal party, Rogier Havelaar, said the council was sending confusing messages to visitors. He told the meeting: “At the same time, we are hitting the international press with [plans for] the biggest brothel in Europe and legalising cocaine. How does this fit in the branding campaign?”
Mayor Halsema has pushed forward this year with plans to regulate using and selling cocaine in a bid to undermine the criminal enterprises that operate in the city and rake in ‘billions’ in profit.
“Let us conclude that hundreds of years of discouragement and repression have achieved very little,” Halsema said in an interview with newspaper Financieele Dagblad.
It does seem a slightly confusing message.
But doesn’t everyting in Amsterdam leave you feeling dazed and confused?
