Amsterdam has a new Ad campaign telling young Brits looking for a messy night out to stay away

[OldHouseLover]

It's pretty bad when there had to be an actual ad campaign?

Do you think it's fair that only British people are targeted?

I also agree with @CuteOrangeElephant that not going to Amsterdam because of the drugs/sex is madness. We had an amazing few days there seeing all sorts of things from Van Gogh paintings to Anne Frank's house and great Indonesian food. It's easy to avoid the red light district and although you often get a waft of smoke as you pass a coffee shop, nobody's dragging you in. And book Monday-Thursday rather than a weekend.

I don’t know who this campaign is more likely to put off. The males or tourists who want to avoid them.

Also out of interest, do other countries not do stag dos then?

I don't know anyone from my native country who would have wild stag, let alone abroad. Some went to local pubs/clubs for a night out, some hit a strip club, some went to someone's lodge for bbq, drinks and fishing. No one tho is running around dressed like a twit waving inflatable phalluses...
I do think the wild ones are starting to catch on tho. But still not abroad really. Who has money for that

British cities make efforts to ban or at least limit hen and stag does, and in Britain the binge drinking culture is causing serious headache to public services on the weekends...

This culture, in this form and scale, is not really seen elsewhere in Europe (this is gigantic generalisation, I know). Add the loosened breaks when people think they're away from home so they can "let loose" even more and you have your reason why the posters target British men specifically (I don't think Amsterdam is much of a destination for hen-dos)

I live near a popular stag/hen do destination and the messages are far more direct and less friendly than simply requesting public to behave. Some places simply won't let larger groups in and will throw you out of you act "too drunk"

Loud, drunken, obnoxious yobs. Every single time it’s the Brits no matter where they go. The whole of Europe feel the same especially Spain.

I've met groups of loud and drunken young men from all sorts of places on my travels through life, it most certainly isn't just brits. Wasn't a British girl gang raped by a group of Israeli men in Greece a couple of years ago? to give just one example

No, it is not 'British people' who are targeted, it is BRITISH MEN AGED 18 TO 35.

The campaign is likely to be extended to include MEN AGED 18 TO 35 from other countries.

Yes, this. I spent a week there just before Covid with DH and our six year old and had a gorgeous time in the museums and art galleries and just strolling and cycling about and seeing things. It’s a very child-friendly city. I saw nothing at all of the red light district (or indeed leery tourists of any nationality during daytime and early evening) until the last day when I was on my way back from the Van Gogh museum — no purposeful avoidance policy, I’d just more or less forgotten it was there.

Amsterdam isn’t a ‘seedy’ destination unless you want it to be.

That was Cyprus. Cyprus is now on my personal banned list due to this horrific case where this poor girl was treated so abysmally.

Yes it's not s great advert for Cyprus is it

I think you hit a valid point there - who has the money to go abroad? ie Brits do. I saw on BBC news that already this year there's a record number of flights booked (obviously not all Amsterdam!)

Lots of money to throw around and if the Dutch decide to put a stop to (no matter what people say) the main draw to Amsterdam, think of the impact.

I don't agree with buying sex and legalising drugs and would prefer the Netherlands stop offering these services, but they do. They offer and they get the idiots with money galore to spend.

What happens then? The prostitutes and drug cafes income is severely down. They are legitimate services in The Netherlands so they will complain and demand their punters back. Or will the area close down ie lots of boarded up windows/cafes.

Maybe a good thing eh!

Yes she was smeared and vilified by the press and police. Politics Cyprus/ Israel played a big part. A Danish girl was raped and murdered by British soldiers there also.

As pp have said you can go to these places and swerve the stags and hens though. Choose another , perhaps smaller , city in that region ?

I think someone posted above that that is only small % of income in Amsterdam.

It's not just NL who has brothels etc.. The biggest brothel is in Cologne. Geneva has red light district afaik. While they don't have legal coffeeshops small amounts of personal use cannabis are not illegal. Still I smelt it there less than walking around Manchester...
As someone said above, stoners are usually not the issue, they have a joint and chill, it's the wild party people.

Brits are not single handedly holding up tourism in Europe as some believe. This is massive issue because it actually leads to "I can behave how I want, because without my money you are nothing".

Both the police and several organisations try to contact the trafficked hookers and offer to help them get out. The problem is bigger for the trafficked women than just leaving though. There is more control going on thsn a hidden passport and often they can't go back home without facing significant problems there. The organisations can't get them out without the women cooperating in leaving.

Although there are less of them, some men are trafficked too.

@MarshaBradyo
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Greenolivetrees
It's just as accessible in other cities in NL though...

I doubt the group you’re trying to keep away are that fussed*

I meant it as an example that the problem is the tourists in Amsterdam and it's not because if "laws in Amsterdam" or the "RLD in Amsterdam" because the laws are the same in the whole country and there are other red light dustricts. These aren't probkrmatic because it doesn't attract tourists in the same way.

@Emigratingimmigrant I agree that Brits using the Dutch's sex and drugs industry is not keeping the country afloat, but it is keeping their cafes and prostitutes in a certain lifestyle which will tank if they push them away.

Maybe you are right and Brits just visit the RLD to gawp and not spend. It does seem strange to us to offer women for sale in this manner. As a woman it makes me shudder, but what message does it give men?

Re Cologne - yes I know Germany also sell women, but do they sell them like a pork chop in a butcher's window like in Amsterdam?

I believe Hamburg does have window displays in their red light district, but that could have changed recently?

I believe Germany also sell women like pork chops in a butcher's window.

Also Germany have brothels with some awful tales of trafficking and abuse.

Both countries could do with cleaning up their act.

Germany has prostitutes drive through and "all you can eat" mega brothels

Prime example of how legalisation doesn't benefit prostitutes one iota but enables men to get rich.

https://unherd.com/2022/11/germany-europes-bordello/

My main concern with this is...imagining changing the nationality to no Chinese, no Indians etc. Again, not all Brits are reflective of a few who misbehave.

I've seen the add. It doesn't mention nationality (it's obviously in english to anatove speaker) and it talks about coming to Amsterdam for messy night and getting trashed? -stay away
They targetted Brits first.

Some countries do react heavily to issues caused by other nationals when it is serious and common problem and for example temporarily stop visa for the age group or the area.

I don't blame the locals for wanting to attract different types of tourists. And Amsterdam is beautiful, does have great art and museums- but so do countless other European cities. And I doubt even its biggest fan would try to claim it has an incredible food scene. Let's be honest, for decades now Amsterdam's USP has been legal weed and women for sale in shop windows. They are the only ones to blame for that.

So embarrassing!

Having been there many times, the only trouble I have ever seen is from British lads who clearly can't handle their booze / drugs. Not surprised they don't want us there tbh!

It’s interesting people say us and how embarrassing

It’s meant to be aimed at a particular age group and sex. I can’t say I feel any responsibility for those people.

Also I wonder if it will just mean everyone else from U.K. is more likely to stay away but not the target group

Usually tourism images are pretty rather than prison cell