Amsterdam bans guided tours of the Red Light District
Rosse Burt , the red light district , the Amsterdam's 'red light district' . A neighborhood born in the old fishermen's houses of the city, controversial and dedicated to prostitution and alcohol since the XIV-XV centuries, when the first shop windows opened. This year, As of April 1, 2020, guided tours of the Red Light District will be prohibited.
During the day, a place to stroll and discover the oldest architecture in the city (which dot the area of Oude Kerk ) or discover the clandestine church that hides the attic of the Amstelkring-Museum , the oldest in the city; at night, everything changes.
the mayor, Femke Halsema , she already commented after her appointment in 2018, the need to rethink the Red Light District of Amsterdam and thus avoid the type of tourism that it attracts, the overcrowding Y ensure respect for female Red Light District workers . An objective that she intends to achieve starting with this measure: ** ban guided tours wherever there are women's shop windows ** (which implies the entire Red Light District but also the Spuistraat Y Ruysdaelkade).
The Red Light District says goodbye to the guided groups that flooded its streets as of April 1, 2020
Victor Everhardt , Deputy Mayor for economic affairs of the city, stated in the official statement from the City Council: "It is not respectful treating women workers as just another tourist attraction ; therefore, the De Wallen tours (the busiest area of the Red Light District) will be banned. Tours outside the Red Light District will be allowed, but only if the tour guides and participants adhere to the new and stricter rules . This will help prevent inconvenience to neighbors and businesses (...) Women workers in the area often experience abusive behaviors Y they are photographs without consent by the tourists of these guided groups”.
THE NEW AMSTERDAM GUIDED TOUR REGULATION
An average of 115 tour groups pass through De Wallen every day (According to figures provided by the City Council to Condé Nast Traveler). This figure also forces us to reflect on the mass tourism in the city and, therefore, in addition to the ban on tours of the Red Light District, the City Council has proposed a series of new regulations that all groups of guided tours organized in the city will have to adopt.
- All tours must have a license
- Groups of 15 people maximum (previously cap was 20)
- It is prohibited to attract more participants in public places during the visit (which requires prior reservation of the service)
- Tours will take place from 08:00 to 22:00.
- It is prohibited to stop in places with a lot of occupation, hindering the entrance to businesses or narrow streets
- Megaphones are prohibited
- Unnecessary shouting or noise is prohibited.
- The consumption of alcohol and drugs is prohibited during the tour