The capital of the Netherlands wants to cool the mild phenomena of tourism.
On Monday, Amsterdam’s city administration named a new location in the red light district.
The new recommended place is located on Europa Boulevard south of the city center, says the mayor Femke Halsema.
He wants to move the prostitutes’ workrooms out of the De Walle district in the center of Amsterdam to a new planned erotic center.
The goal of the move is to reduce crime and the number of tourists in the center.
According to Halsema, the recommended new location for the erotic center will be presented to the city council at the beginning of next year. The center is to have 100 work rooms for prostitutes.
Sex workers and many Amsterdam residents oppose the move. Among other things, they want more police officers in the current red light district.
The planned location of the center is located near the European Medicines Agency. It also opposes the transfer of the red light district. The agency justifies its position with the fact that the transfer may affect the safety of those working in the agency, especially in the evening.
The relocation of the red light district is one of Amsterdam’s ways to shape its image. It no longer wants to be known as the party capital.
Amsterdam has already launched a “stay away” campaign, the aim of which is to reduce the number of bachelor parties and tourists interested in booze-fuelled parties.
The campaign caused an uproar in Britain after Amsterdam announced that it was targeting British men between the ages of 18 and 35.
Amsterdam’s new online campaign aims to present the city’s cultural and artistic experiences as well as the stories of “authentic Amsterdammers”.
Source: AFP