Amsterdam is as well known for its red light district as it is for canals, bikes and cannabis, but changes are coming for visitors to this notorious part of the Dutch capital. Amsterdam is set to ban organized tours in the red light district in 2020.
The ban is part of efforts to reduce overcrowding in the neighbourhood, and also aims to better protect the city’s sex workers. Organized tours contribute to foot traffic congestion, which often deters potential paying customers from visiting the district.
In addition, tourists taking photos and selfies without permission raises significant privacy concerns for sex workers.
The new regulations will also limit the number of participants on guided tours through the rest of De Wallen to a maximum of 15 people; and it includes a ban on bar crawls in the neighbourhood.
Over 19 million people visited Amsterdam in 2018, with tourism projected to hit 29 million people per year by 2030. The ban comes on the heels of several other new regulations to manage overtourism in Amsterdam, including a limit on how long AirBnBs can be rented out and an increase in hotel room tax.
