The plans for the new erotic center to be built state that a large number of sex workers will leave the city center for the Europaboulevard in the South. Local residents in the Red Light District are happy that a solution is being considered for the crowds on and around the Oudezijds Achterburgwal. “But as long as there are windows, the tourists will keep coming.”
Red Light District resident Els Iping has thoroughly examined Mayor Halsema’s plans. On Monday, Halsema announced that she is considering the Europaboulevard in South as a location for the erotic center.
Iping calculates: “A hundred windows would then be removed from the city center and moved to the center.” That seems like a lot, but Iping, local resident and member of the Stop the Madness Foundation, is critical. “That leaves about 150 windows.” And those 150 will continue to attract visitors, Iping thinks: “As long as there are windows, the tourists will continue to come.”
Not that the sex workers are the problem, Iping adds. “We would propose closing the windows, but moving sex work indoors.” If there is less to see, fewer viewers will come. According to Iping, the countless tourist shops in and around the Oudezijds Voorburgwal will quickly count their buttons and close their doors.
Fellow local resident Bert Nap has his own opinion about Iping’s plan. “I don’t know if that will work in Amsterdam. Then it would be better to close things down here and say: ‘we have an erotic center, you can continue there’.”
However, Iping and Nap, who have both lived in the area for decades, agree that it is good that something has finally been set in motion around the crowds and sex tourism. “Look, it’s not the fault of prostitution, let’s put that first,” says Nap. “Fun tourism, that is what you have to tackle. So if you have a good place for sex workers somewhere else: excellent.”