Amsterdam is taking steps to eliminate one of its most-famous, if morally questionable, attractions: the group tours that take thousands of visitors on a walk through an area where prostitution is legal and highly visible. The ban, in stages, will take full effect by next January.
The city cites two reasons: crowding, as can be seen in the photo above, and changing attitudes. In a statement, the city's Deputy Mayor Udo Kock, said "We are banning tours that take visitors along sex workers' windows, not only because we want to prevent overcrowding in the Red Light District, but also because it is not respectful to sex workers. It is outdated to treat sex workers as a tourist attraction."
The tours, widely-promoted not only by tour operators but even at times by the city's tourism board, move through an area in central Amsterdam where prostitutes sit in lighted windows and scant clothing to advertise for customers. They have complained that the raucous tours, as many as 48 an hour passing through the area, demean them and disrupt their business.
Starting next week, tours will have to be completed by 7 pm, four hours earlier than many have been operating, and all tours will be banned as of January 1. In the meantime, all tours will require special permits for guides and will be limited to 15 customers per tour.
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