“So, coming to Amsterdam for a messy night? Stay away.”
That’s the message from Amsterdam city authorities, who have launched an online advertising campaign to warn visitors against “let[ting] loose” in the Dutch capital.
People who look up terms like “stag party Amsterdam,” “cheap hotel Amsterdam” or “pub crawl Amsterdam” on the internet ahead of a visit to the Dutch city will be shown short videos stressing “the risks and consequences of nuisance and excessive alcohol and drug use,” the city of Amsterdam said in a statement published Tuesday.
Initially targeting “British men aged 18 to 35,” the campaign could be extended to tourists from the Netherlands or EU countries “in the course of the year,” the statement read.
The 30-second videos are brutally straightforward.
To the sound of sirens, broken glass and threatening music, one video depicts an unconscious young man being taken to the hospital after “tak[ing] drugs,” while another one shows a man, visibly inebriated, being arrested at the crack of dawn after he insulted two policemen.
“Coming to Amsterdam for a messy night + getting trashed = €140 fine + criminal record,” the ads’ captions say, adding: “Stay away.”
The city of Amsterdam, which welcomes around 20 million tourists every year, is famous for its red light district, which has contributed to turning the city into one of Europe’s party capitals.
But local residents have long complained of disruption caused by drunken tourists — who also make good use of the city’s cannabis “coffee shops.”
The advert campaign is part of a wider crackdown from the city of Amsterdam on rowdy tourists: Last month, local authorities passed new regulations making it illegal to smoke cannabis in the red light district.
