No, Amsterdam Will Not Ban Tourists From Coffee Shops, No! In the document sent to the council committee, Halsema summarizes the results of a study that the city commissioned to investigate “the extent to which coffee shops, (window) prostitution and budget flights contribute to the appeal of Amsterdam’s city center to foreign tourists.”. Of the visitors surveyed, 29% said they would turn to other routes in search of their drug fix -- getting a resident to buy cannabis for them, or via street trading, for example. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Starting April 1, 2020, new measures will be in place to regulate group tours of the area, preventing tour groups from passing the red light windows, touring past 10 p.m. and lingering in "places that are sensitive to pressure" -- such as narrow bridges, or new entryways. The city council also limited the size of tours to 15 people and banned them from stopping in busy places. Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. Francesca Street, CNN • Updated 18th February 2020 (CNN) — Amsterdam is considering banning tourists from its infamous cannabis-vending coffee shops as … Only 1% of those surveyed mentioned window prostitution as the main reason for their visit. Femke Halsema, the mayor of Amsterdam, is understood to be investigating measures to deter tourists from overcrowding the canal-side streets of the city’s historic heart, which includes the red light district. Around 115 guided tours pass through the red-light district every day, with sex workers frequently complaining of abusive behavior. Some 115 guided tours pass through the district every day. every year, and the city has, for years, looked at options to reduce the attraction of its liberal drug policy. Guided tours featuring sex workers’ windows in Amsterdam’s red light district’s have been banned. Join us on a 12-month journey to see them all. Tours of the red light district will only be allowed if guides stick to the new restriction, which comes into effect in April, and keep the windows off their itineraries. ", There's a perfect beach for every week of the year. She commissioned a study looking at how many people are drawn to Amsterdam because of coffee shops selling cannabis, the city’s legal prostitution zone, and by budget flights. To add to the slightly confusing set up, buying cannabis from a coffee shop is legal in the Netherlands, but producing cannabis remains illegal. The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. The new Amsterdam survey points out that barring non-residents from the coffee shops doesn't necessarily translate to a reduction in visitors, or a reduction in cannabis use. Travelers behaving badly: Is the conduct of tourists getting worse? Cycling around Amsterdam is still top of the must-do list for the city's tourists. Amsterdam could ban tourists from buying cannabis, A look back at Amsterdam's '90s red light district - In pictures, Eurostar to finally launch direct Amsterdam-London train in April, What it’s like onboard the first Amsterdam-London Eurostar train, You may not agree with our views, or other users’, but please respond to them respectfully, Swearing, personal abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia and other discriminatory or inciteful language is not acceptable, Do not impersonate other users or reveal private information about third parties, We reserve the right to delete inappropriate posts and ban offending users without notification. Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate? That has resulted in a bizarre situation in which the country’s semi-legal drug trade is fuelled by criminal gangs who grow and distribute cannabis to the shops. Still, Amsterdam's tourist survey suggests that the most common reason for visiting Amsterdam isn't the coffee shops, the Red Light District or even the varied museums and cultural attractions -- it's actually the pretty wholesome appeal of walking or cycling around the city. Different municipalities in the Netherlands have different coffee shop rules, and discussions on barring everyone except residents are not new. The reports about Amsterdam banning tourists from coffee shops you’re seeing stem from, Halsema writes that the survey results would be used to develop policies that could “reduce the. Those who would continue to use the drug said they would find another way to buy it, including letting someone else go into the coffee shop (22 per cent). Only 1% said Amsterdam’s famous Red Light District was their main reason to visit the Dutch capital, while 22% consider it an important reason. If you’ve ever tried to walk through Amsterdam’s center during peak tourism season, you’ll thank the council for that decision. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. The reports about Amsterdam banning tourists from coffee shops you’re seeing stem from a briefing that Halsema sent to the members of the city’s General Affairs Council Committee. However, the study said: “For British visitors, coffee shops are by far the most frequently mentioned main reason to come to Amsterdam (33 per cent). "Because Amsterdam is known worldwide for its tolerant policy towards soft drugs. Europeans are allowed to buy small quantities of marijuana while visiting the Dutch capital under EU freedom of movement rules. Sebastiaan Meijer, a spokesperson for the mayor, told. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. What it's like to live in Amsterdam's red-light district, This conversation became heated back in 2011 and 2012, Destinations have vowed to fight back against overtourism for 2020. Meanwhile, 34% indicated they'd come to Amsterdam less often if they weren't able to visit coffee shops, and 11% said they wouldn't come at all. "But of all the measures, it is the riskiest," she says. Today, this rule exists in Maastricht, in the south of the country. "I don't think the banning of cannabis would decimate tourism," he tells CNN Travel. Amsterdam is a bit of a mythical creature in stoner circles. The survey looked at the most popular reasons for visiting Amsterdam, and sought to investigate "what would happen to the willingness of tourists to visit Amsterdam if either the availability or accessibility of one or more of these factors should reduce or disappear. You can find our Community Guidelines in full here. But the mayor's survey suggests the city's coffee shops have a stronger appeal for international tourists than the Red Light District. Long before weed became legal anywhere in the US or Canada, the Dutch city offered a safe haven for cannabis-lovers from around the world, and countless stoner movies have been made about pilgrimages to Amsterdam. "The city is also known for its culture and brilliant aesthetic. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. Some 57% of respondents said coffee shops are an important reason for why they came to Amsterdam. Of the tourists who would keep coming, 40 per cent said they would refrain from using cannabis. Amsterdam, home to 1.1 million people, attracts over 17 million tourists every year, and the city has, for years, looked at options to reduce the attraction of its liberal drug policy. Amsterdam is considering banning tourists from entering its famous coffee shops, CNN reports. According to the survey, coffee shops were the main reason for 22% of respondents to visit Amsterdam, while 57% said it was “a (very) important reason.”. Any guide found breaking the rules could face fines of €190 ($205). It is, however, researching policies that could make them less attractive and reduce tourist nuisance. A whopping 25% of respondents said they would visit less often, with 9% never coming to Amsterdam again. British tourist Allan Claydon, 24, agrees with this take -- and says he doesn't think curbing coffee shop culture would change Amsterdam's appeal for visitors. The survey, by the Research, Information and Statistics Department, revealed 34 per cent of people would visit the city less often and 11 per cent would never go again if they were barred from entering its coffee shops. Amsterdam streets can get busy with large numbers of visitors. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. No! For a third of those surveyed, a ban on access to coffee shops would be reason never to visit Amsterdam less often, while 11% said they would never return to the city. Almost half (42 per cent) of Britons said they would visit less frequently, and 12 per cent claimed they would never return.

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