Amsterdam introduces new rules around weed, drinking and brothels as city tells young Brits to 'stay away'
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As part of a new campaign, Amsterdam will tell young British men to 'stay away' as they introduce new rules around weed, drinking and brothels.
Set to role out this week, the digital campaign launched by the Dutch city's council aims to tackle the issue of anti-social behaviour.
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It's no secret that Amsterdam is a hotspot for stag parties and pub crawls - not only can you get return flights and ferries for pennies, but the legalisation of cannabis and brothels means it attracts hundreds of thousands of Brits each year looking for a messy weekend.
But now, the council is looking to improve the safety and reduce nuisance for locals, having previously announced a new law set to ban smoking weed in public during certain times.
The move is expected to come into force in mid-May, and new rules around the sale of alcohol and closing times for bars and brothels are also being introduced.
And now the council is warning sex and drugs tourists to 'stay away', targeting men aged between 18 and 35 from the UK.
The ad is set to kickstart this week, and will show up when Brits Google terms such as 'stag party', 'cheap hotel' or 'pub crawl Amsterdam'.
Deputy mayor Sofyan Mbarki said: "Visitors are still welcome, but not if they misbehave and cause nuisance. As a city, we are saying: we’d rather not have this, so stay away."
In the clip, a young man can be seen getting apprehended by local police before being locked up in a cell.
Alongside the footage, text over the top stats: "Coming to Amsterdam for a messy night and getting trashed = €140 fine + criminal record."
It adds that those who are arrested will have 'fewer prospects' in life.
"So coming to Amsterdam for a messy night? Stay away."
The rather blunt message hasn't been met too kindly by some - and not just from 18 to 35 year old blokes from the UK.
Marco Lemmers, chief executive of Amsterdam's Conscious Hotels, said he would have rather a campaign that promotes positive behaviour rather than deterring tourists from coming at all.
"You could show people that they will get in trouble with certain behaviour, with a bit of humour, but you shouldn’t act like everyone who comes here for a wedding is a criminal," he said.
"You should read what the Dutch get up to on the Costa Brava in Spain! Has Amsterdam even thought of the potential collateral damage for the Netherlands as a destination as a whole?"
Well, guess we'll have to wait and see whether this campaign has the desired affect when the warmer weather starts.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy Stock Photo/Devi/Ianni Dimitrov Pictures
Topics: Drugs, UK News, World News, Travel
