Night Tourism in Amsterdam - blogazine

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11 October 2017 - Volume 1


Index 21:00

23:00

A Police Officer’s Tips for Tourists - Interview

Amsterdam: Where The Pub Hands its Crown to the Coffeeshop - Reportage

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02:00

“Every City has its own DNA and its own Issues” Interview

The Tourist Love Experience - Photo Slideshow

04:00 Sleep Well! - Informative Article


Editorial Hi you! I guess you are a twenty-something year old traveller from Europe, exploring Amsterdam right now. During the day you sail across the canals and sure, you upload an Instagram story about the fancy cafĂŠ you explored in the 9 Straatjes. As soon as it gets dark, you stroll through the red light district, explore the highs and lows of mushrooms and fall asleep in one of the 32.346 Airbnb beds. Do you not? But did you know what your behaviour means for this city? Who are the people behind the fun you have? With this magazine we want to immerge you into the tourist night scene of Amsterdam; we have taken a closer look and want to show you what we have found. We talked with a police officer about the dangers that await tourists during the night, visited a coffee shop, met the Night Mayor of the city whose working day begins when our ends, roamed with a camera through the red light district and took a look under the countless Airbnb-blankets. Come with us on an alternative stroll through the dark hours in Amsterdam, from dusk to dawn. Enjoy and good night,

Valentina Kress Editor-in- Chief


Colophon


Valentina Kress

- Editor in Chief Valentina likes to sip Dutch Mule as soon as it gets dark.

Roxanne Hendrickx - Art director

After midnight, Roxanne likes to become friends with strangers after way too many shots.

DaniĂŤlle De Koning

- Photographer From dusk to dawn, Danielle either stays in with Netflix and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc or goes clubbing with her friends.

Larice Schuurbiers

- Photographer Larice likes to photograph the great views Amsterdam has to offer at night.

Elif Doganjygit - Copy Writer

Elif likes to bike in the middle of the night without any crowd or traffic, just watching Amsterdam under the moonlight.

Poppy Prescott - Copy Writer & Editor

Poppy hopes to try every Dutch beer, one bar at a time.

Christina Hanson - Copy Writer

At night, Christina likes to pretend that she is a superhero rescuing cats from the trees.

Leonie Rothacker - Copy Writer

At night, Leonie likes to sit at the canals and have deep conversations with good friends.


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A Police Officer’s Tips for Tourists By Christina Hanson and Poppy Prescott When arriving in a new city, it can be difficult to adjust to the cultural changes presented. Being aware of them is half the problem in Amsterdam according to Police Officer Thomas. We spoke to Thomas while he was on night duty at the Museumplein and discussed tourism trouble, the dangers to avoid and what to keep in mind whilst visiting, studying or exploring Amsterdam.

Are uninformed tourists the biggest challenge you are facing with tourism? T: “The Dutch are more familiar with the drug policy but no. Amsterdam gets busier with tourists so it was easier two years ago. But what we see is that people who in summer with few clothes are putting their telephone in their back pocket, and then they get mugged just like that. “

Do tourists behave when they see you? Do you think tourists cause a T: “It depends on whether they are sober or not. lot of trouble in Amsterdam? If not, they don’t say good night, they don’t ask T: “It is about 50/50. A lot of tourists think if I speak English. Where are your manners?” Amsterdam is like Vegas, where everything is impossible. And there is a lot possible What should tourists be more aware of? but there is also a certain boundary. If you T: “When you go down to red light district, cross that line then we’re through with you people try to sell narcotics on the street and and we’re going to make some arrests.” they get given an envelope for around 50 euros, but often the powder is actually aspirin or advil. What mistakes do tourists often make whilst One of the tips that tourists should have is their things; not to get sloppy about their telephone, here? T: “One of the most important things that to take care with drugs. Smoking a joint may tourists have to know is Amsterdam has a drug make you feel light but mushrooms take a while, policy, and that is about smoking and eating impatient eating can mean it is too late. And mushrooms. Tourists can get confused with the everyone on a bike here at night is drunk. When drug laws. When people have eaten too many you know your stuff you won’t get in to trouble.” mushrooms in the past, they have jumped off tunnels and bridges 50 metres high and have *The name in this article has been changed been killed or seriously wounded. So when for reasons of professional anonymity. we investigate the body and the substances within the body, we usually discover something really bad happened on the mushrooms. It’s the same with weapons. A year ago at Paradiso, a girl had pepper spray which she purchased in Berlin, but it is not legal here.”


Amsterdam: Where the pub hands over its crown to the coffeeshop By Elif Doganyigit Amsterdam is an iconic capital city and it is not difficult to understand why. It is the city that offers the alternative transport of biking, boat parties and a cruise of the canals. It is the city to buy tulips from the flowers market, enjoy beautiful art and street musicians. It is also the city in which – the stoned elephant in the room – you can get legally high whilst enjoying all these things. An unfamiliar excitement to many of the city’s tourists. Amsterdam is associated with many things but cannabis is becoming the most famous. If people around the world were to be asked, “What is the first thing comes to your mind about Amsterdam?” it is arguable ‘Smoking weed’ would be a disproportionally frequent answer. The coffeeshops that sell soft drugs - weed, hash, marijuana and edibles - are becoming more famous than the city itself. They are forming their own culture; taking a

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huge place in the nightlife of Amsterdam. Tourists are one problem that the Amsterdam residents complain about a lot. It is not just their walking on bike lanes or getting drunk and disorderly that residents encounter. The Dutch drug legalization law is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Around 5 million tourists come to Amsterdam per year and 25-30 percent of them visit coffeeshops according to the city hall. As the drug tourism becomes more popular among the millennials, Amsterdam is becoming the hotspot place to visit. Currently, Amsterdam has 167 coffeeshops with this year shut down of 28 coffeeshops because of the restriction of being 250 meter away from a school. The Dutch locals might not understand why it is a big deal but some tourists come to Amsterdam for the sole purpose of smoking cannabis and coffeeshops.


Š The Bulldog

The Bulldog was one of the first coffeeshops in Amsterdam and is now one of the most popular out of the 167 in Amsterdam. Drug-related tourism has allowed The Bulldog to open souvenir shops and a hotel where tourists are allowed to smoke in their rooms. When walking through the city, people wear the Bulldog logo sweatshirt and the souvenir bags in their hands. I decided to see it for myself... As I walk into The Bulldog, there is a harsh smell of cannabis that hits my nose. It is darkly lit and almost reminiscent of a pub; there are different aged women and men from different nationalities smoking around wooden tables, talking, laughing and sipping from sodas and coffees. There are televisions which play shows like Family Guy, which although I cannot really hear it, just seeing it is enjoyable. There is quiet reggae playing in the background, which does not surprise me. There is a bar that does not sell alcohol, providing all the ambiance of a pub at the corner of neighbourhood.

That may be the reason why this coffeeshop is also called the living room. Even The Bulldog describes itself as the living room of Amsterdam. The similarities are there but the culture is definitely different. The coffeeshop is usually open from 8am to 1am and whenever you go you will experience this same atmosphere. The purpose of the coffeeshops is to be relaxed and enjoy your time there, which is significantly different to the purpose of many pubs. They are also providing safe environment for people to smoke, preventing the street drug dealers and bad quality weed. Coffeeshops have become an integral part of Amsterdam’s nightlife and their tourism industry and I can see why.


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Night mayor Mirik Milan


© Night Mayor Press Kit


“Every city has its own DNA and own issu By Leonie Rothacker

They are noisy, drunk or stoned - or perhaps all three - and they don’t care how their behavior affects residents. The reputation of night tourists in Amsterdam is not a very good one among the capital’s citizens. To avoid chaos and manage the city’s nightlife – in which the dance industry alone is worth €600m each year – and to gratify all the stakeholders such as club owners, residents and the tourists themselves, Amsterdam has its own night mayor. His name is Mirik Milan, and together with his secretary Ella Overkleeft, he founded ‘Stichting N8BM A’DAM‘, which stands for ‘Foundation night mayor (nachtburgemeester) Amsterdam‘. The night mayor’s office answered some questions about what it’s like being the night mayor of Amsterdam. What was the strangest thing you have seen a tourist do at night in Amsterdam? A drunk tourist peeing against somebody’s house and getting a bucket of water over his head by the resident. How do tourists behave at night? Depends on what kind of tourists. The frat party tourists mostly make a lot noise and walk super drunk on the streets. They cause the most nuisance. And of course the stoners, that only go to the red light district and don’t really see anything of the city. But you also have tourists that come especially for a certain club, and come for the quality of the music scene. What are typical attractions tourists visit at night? The red light district and clubs, for example De School is the most popular club for tourists, but there are also some more on the Rembrandtsquare and Leidsesquare.


ues“ Which is the most dangerous place in Amsterdam at night where you shouldn’t go as a tourist? The city is super safe, but the area around the central station and the red light district can be dangerous as in people selling fake dope to tourists. Do you sometimes experience rape or violence exercised by or against tourists? Yes, sometimes the fake dope dealers also rob the tourists. The tourists are afraid to report this because they are afriad to get arrested. There is a special campaign to warn tourist about this. If you would have to set up a tourist guide for Amsterdam at night, what would be in it? For this I have a very good example: Rembrandtsquare has applied ‘houserules‘ for visitors of the square at night. You can find them in a video here. Do you think drug tourism gets more attention than Amsterdam’s historical tourist attractions? No, I think it is more or less the same. Actually it is the combination that people know. Do you think there are many tourists who come to Amsterdam solely for the purpose of doing drugs? Yes, party in general. There is also a special video for tourists thet are coming for Amsterdam for partying, and in particular for drug use. Do you think being a night mayor in Amsterdam is more difficult than it would be in another city? No, every city has its own DNA and own issues. Other cities are dealing with corruption for instance.

© Night Mayor Press Kit


The Tourist Love Experience Photography: Larice Schuurbiers Sound: Danielle de Koning. The Red Light District has been a famous tourist attraction in Amsterdam for years. From day to night, the area is bustling with tourists. They walk past the women in lingerie behind the windows and often take pictures of them, ignoring the strict rules the area has set for anyone who enters the Red Light District. This reckless behaviour has grown into loud, drunk and selfies-taking masses of tourists who disappear once the dark hours of the night set in, along with most of the visitors and prostitutes. Then all that is left behind is last night’s trash, empty streets and early cleaners.

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Sleep well! By Valentina Kress In 2016, online lodging marketplace Airbnb, exploded in Amsterdam. Around 1.7 million overnight stays in the Dutch capital were booked via the platform last year, which is more than twice as much as 2015. The number of lodgings has also more than doubled. In 2015 there were still 15,000, in 2016 there were more than 32,000 apartments rented. On the first of October, Amsterdam tightened its rules for housing portals such as Airbnb. This means that if an individual wants to rent their apartment, they must register with the municipality first or otherwise face a fine of up to 20,500 euros. Since the beginning of 2017, private individuals are allowed to rent their apartment only for a maximum of 60 days per year. This restriction has already had an effect; the number of houses that may exceed this period had fallen from 13 per cent in May 2016 to 5 per cent by May 2017. Airbnb also took 1,250 properties off the website because they have passed the maximum rental period. With these restrictions, the city wants to fight illegal rentals, increasing their budget to 1.8 million euros. The continuously increasing rate of tourism in Amsterdam is aggravating residents that are fighting to survive in a housing crisis. Airbnb only furthers the problem, as empty rooms and freshly furnished apartments sit waiting for tourists in the city centre during a housing shortage. The majority of the guests come to Amsterdam’s city centre. The Centrum-West, De Baarsjes & Oud-West, Centrum-Oost regions account for 45 per cent of the overnight stays. Guests pay an average of 140 euros per night, which is roughly per cent more than in the previous year. Demand and average prices also rose this year, as another record year is expected.

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Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite...


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