Amsterdam Launches New Advertising Campaign Targeting ‘Nuisance’ Tourists – Beginning With Young British Men
Amsterdam is the capital and most populated city of the Netherlands. It has a population of 1,457,018 in the urban area. Amsterdam is often referred to as the “Venice of the North“, for its large number of canals, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, according to Wikipedia.
Starting this week, Amsterdam is launching an online campaign called “Stay Away” to discourage ‘nuisance’ tourists.
Nuisance tourists are visitors who come to the city to engage in unruly behavior and disrupt the peace. This initiative is just one of the many measures that the City Council has adopted as part of the Visitors Economy Vision 2035. The “Stay Away” campaign will first target British males between the ages of 18 and 35. From 2024 onwards, it will continue to grow to include potential trouble making visitors from other European Union countries.
‘Stay Away’ involves showing warning advertisements to visitors who look up events that feature alcohol and other various key words. These can include ‘stay party Amsterdam’, cheap hotel Amsterdam’, and ‘pub crawl Amsterdam’. Looking up these phrases and similar online displays a warning of the health and legal consequences of anti-social behavior. Some of these consequences include facing arrest and criminal charges, fines, and the health risks of alcohol consumption.
The campaign intends to raise awareness about the risks involved in alcohol-related nuisance behavior. The warning ultimately hopes to de-glamourize the image of alcohol-related tourism to visitors.
Offline alcohol-prevention campaign “How to Amsterdam”
“How to Amsterdam” is another element of the campaign targeting the tourists who are already in Amsterdam.
- The campaign educates visitors on appropriate behavior.
- This education includes information on the unacceptable behavior that alcohol fuels.
- Additionally, hotels also participate in the initiative in two ways throughout the year;
- One approach is by using LCD screens located in the lobby; and
- Another is distributing city maps to visitors.
Limiting the sale of alcohol in certain areas of the inner city is an initiative that will take effect in the time to come.
The Visitors Economy Vision 2035 launched this Spring made this recommendation. The city council and aldermen are also engaged in discussions with stag party organizers to educate them how they can address reducing alcohol harm.
All these efforts are directed towards creating an alcohol-free, enjoyable environment for tourists and locals alike.
Sources
CNBC: “Most countries want tourists back — but Amsterdam is telling these visitors to ‘stay away’“
BBC: “Amsterdam launches stay away ad campaign targeting young British men“
Alcohol Awareness: “Stay Away”