Amsterdam considering stopping selling weed at weekends in bid to slow down 'nuisance tourism'

Amsterdam is considering putting an end to ‘nuisance tourism’ and bringing in a set of new rules for cannabis, alcohol, and brothels in the city.

The capital of The Netherlands is known as a party city, with travellers coming from all over the world to take advantage of the great nightlife, as well as liberal attitudes to cannabis consumption and sex work.

However, this is seen as a problem by many in charge – not to mention many of the residents who live there – and those in charge in the Dutch capital want to try to reinforce the city’s reputation as a cultural destination rather than a hedonistic and rowdy tourist spot.

There are a lot of plans in the offing, which include – amongst others – plans to shut down brothels at certain times, plans to stop selling weed on weekends, and curbs to the stag parties that swarm the streets at any given time.

There are 880,000 people who live in Amsterdam, and they’re apparently starting to get a bit p***ed off with the constant stream of intoxicated tourists roaming the city and treating it like a huge adult playground.

Stephen Barnes/Netherlands/Alamy

So, under the new plans locals would enact a ‘stay away’ campaign that would give them the run of their city once again.

That would mean that bars and clubs would be kept to a more strict 2:00am closing time, with other limits on opening times, and window sex work and brothels would also find their opening times limited more strictly.

What’s more, the curbs would hit the city’s coffee shops as well, with alcohol and cannabis consumption banned in certain areas of Amsterdam.

They also want to turn Airbnb properties into homes for residents, tightening up the rules on short-term rental properties.

If the rules are passed into legislation, there could also be a tourist tax levied against visitors to the city at busy times.

“If we love the city, we have to act now,” Amsterdam’s deputy mayor Sofyan Mbarki said.

Mbarki has been having conversations with residents, experts, interested parties, and businesses about what is to be done to curb the city’s perceived low-brow image with tourists.

Peter Horree/Alamy

He continued: “It has become clear that everyone cares about the city and that intervention is needed to counter the nuisance and overcrowding.

“If we want effective and forward-looking cooperation, both a long-term vision and appropriate measures are needed.

“Amsterdam is a metropolis and that means a lively and bustling city, but to keep our city liveable, we now have to opt for limits instead of irresponsible growth.”

Whether the plans will come to fruition or not is currently up in the air, but the proposals are set to be taken before Amsterdam City Council on December 21.

After that, who knows what will become of tourism in one of the world’s most popular cities?