Are you smoking right now?
I am, yes.
Is it weed?
It is.
Dutch weed, Cali weed, mixed joints.
There's a lot on offer!
Welcome to the beautiful city of Amsterdam!
Some things have changed here.
No more smoking weed on the streets in the red light district!
There are plans to push the prostitutes to the outskirts.
Amsterdam wants to pimp its image.
And by doing so, ban all the things so many tourists come here for?
Well, let's find out.
Amsterdam suffers from mass tourism.
Years ago, the city decided to limit the numbers to 20 million visitors a year.
But it's also beautiful, especially in summer.
With its old gabled houses and canals, Amsterdam's old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
If only there weren't the party tourists.
They don't just come for the canals and architecture.
They come here because the consumption of hash and weed is tolerated.
But since the end of May there are new rules.
No publick drinking, that's pretty clear.
Anyone caught drinking alcohol or smoking weed in public must pay a 100 euro fine.
These signs hang everywhere here!
I wonder who controls it. I haven't seen anyone yet.
You can still smoke pot in the numerous coffee shops or here on a so-called smoke boat.
According to its own description: 'The most relaxed canal cruise... for those
people who want to see the highlights of Amsterdam while they get high.
What did you do on the boat?
We just kind of smoked two joints and just enjoyed the time.
It was very nice to see around the city with all those buildings.
It was really nice, a very nice trip.
Where are you from?
I'm from Newcastle in England.
What do you do here in Amsterdam?
I just come for a holiday, smoke a bit of weed, chill out, see the sights. Just to have a goood time!
Are you smoking right now? - I am, yes.
Is it weed? - It is.
I think it's prohibited here on the street?
Technically. But you'll struggle to find a police officer who's gonna waste his time
trying to fine you 95 Euros. But yeah, technically it's illegal.
Alright then, enjoy the day!
Thank you very much.
Have you heard about the new rules? There are posters everywhere, you know:
no smoking weed in the streets, here in the Red Light Discrict. What do you think about that?
You can look at it from two sides at the end of the day.
I mean if they are trying to shut it all down, think of the revenues, all that kind of stuff you lose,
the tourism, there will be real money loss, won’t there.
So I don’t know what they’re think about replacing it with. But good luck to them.
Do you think it's going to, well, have an effect on tourism?
No. I don't think so, no.
It's a nice try. - Yeah, exactly.
I think people will still come and have a drink and do weed.
But hopefully a little bit less than it used to be.
Amsterdam is an attractive destination.
Located in the center of Europe, it can be reached quickly and cheaply, by train or by plane.
In the early 2000s, tourists were seen as a welcome source of revenue for the economy.
Among the attractions in Amsterdam are the coffee shops.
Here, soft drugs such as hashish and marijuana can be consumed.
Dutch weed, Cali weed, mixed joints.
There's a lot on offer.
Because there is nothing like this in any other country in Europe,
these coffee shops attract lots of tourists.
On the outskirts of downtown, not far from the port, I meet Geerte Udo.
She is the head of Amsterdam's tourism marketing company.
What do you think of the restricitons in the city center: no more smoking pot in the streets of the
Red Light discrict? What do you think of that?
I think it's a really good rule because
we have a lot of visitors in Amsterdam.
And we love visitors in Amsterdam.
And we have some huge challenges in the old city center.
Because there are groups that cause too many nuisance.
For residents, it's really uncomfortable to live in the area on certain times. And I think
government is doing a good task by putting on new measurements and trying to see how you can
manage these groups to make sure that we will always welcome visitors. But make sure that it
doesn't harm the livability of our residents.
But isn't there a risk of Amsterdam losing
the image of being a city of liberty and freedom because of restrictions?
No, we believe that we are already for a long, long time a city of liberty and free spirit.
But that doesn't mean that you should not give respect to a destination or its residents.
So they have to behave like everywhere else!
Yes, yes, that's like I think in every country,
in every city you visit, you have to respect the local culture. And that's maybe what we lost a bit
last ten years or 15 years, I'm not sure. But in the consumption society there is a sort
of behavior that says: 'I paid for it. So I decide myself how I behave.'
And I wished that there was a golden key to make people behave to the culture
that they visit. Because I think it's the same for every destination.
Doesn't matter if you are going to Barcelona or to an island in Thailand, you have to respect
the locals and their destination if it comes to planet and if it comes to people.
And then we can have a wealthy economy.
To restore the balance between residents and visitors,
the city plans further restrictions in the red-light district.
So-called window prostitution could disappear from the city center. To achieve this,
Amsterdam plans to build a replacement brothel on the outskirts of the city.
The red-light district attracts many onlookers who do not always know how to behave.
Since the beginning of the year, bars and brothels have had to close 2 hours earlier,
but the party tourists remain a major nuisance for local residents.
They have joined forces to form the initiative 'Stop de Gekte!'
Translated roughly: Stop the madness.
Ils Eping is one of these residents who are fighting against the excesses of mass tourism.
Well, in your opinion, what's wrong with tourism in Amsterdam in this district?
The problem is that in the first place it are far too many.
As you see it's it's a small neighborhood with narrow canals and narrow allies.
And on some evenings it's so bad that you can't even walk. That residents, because there are residents here,
can't even reach their front door. So the number is a problem.
But also they come to get wasted, to have a party, to enjoy themselves.
So that's what they do. And they eat and drink and make a terrible mess.
They shit on the porches of the people.
Yeah! Because they think: oh this is sex and drugs.
Sorry.
Everything is allowed here. So they do everything they can't do at home.
What's gonna change in your opinion?
We think, the 2 most important magnets should stop.
So the ladies in the windows should go inside.
So, no zoo anymore! With half naked women. There's nothing to see anymore.
If you want to visit a lady, you have to go inside.
Second, there is a law in Holland that the coffee shops may only sell weed to Dutch residents.
Amsterdam made an exception.
They can introduce that tomorrow. Tomorrow they can say: 'We do what the law says.'
There's only residents who may go into the coffee shops.
We think then you can change the image of sex and drugs: That's the thing.
But we offer sex and drugs and then you get these tourists. Stop it, stop both!
And then there's a chance for this neighborhood again.
The conflict between residents and party tourists in Amsterdam will continue.
When you visit, remember: no alcohol or joints on the street – otherwise it can get expensive.
I think it's unfair to say that Amsterdam is banning fun. Like many other cities it's fighting
against the excesses of party tourism. So if tourists don't just want to drink,
smoke pot and make noise, then Amsterdam is still an attractive city and worth a visit.