TUESDAY, 28
NOVEMBER 2023 - 17:50
Amsterdam's 'Stay Away' campaign for British
party tourists lacks impact, says mayor
The
marketing campaign in Amsterdam, targeting young British tourists with a
message to "stay away" if they are only coming for a
"messy" weekend, has not yielded significant results so far,
according to Mayor Femke Halsema and Alderman Sofyan Mbarki in a letter to the
city council. The campaign is set to enter its second phase in early 2024,
expanding to other EU countries.
The
campaign, launched in March this year, currently geo-targets young British men
aged between 18 to 35 years old with ads being triggered if they search terms
like "stag party Amsterdam" or "cheap hotel Amsterdam"
online. These include videos warning visitors coming to Amsterdam for a
"messy" weekend that they might face arrest, a criminal record, or
hospitalization.
The
campaign was launched in a bid to reduce the nuisance caused by tourists. It
was met with skepticism by both locals and tourists, who expressed doubts about
its impact at the time of the launch.
On Tuesday,
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema and Alderman Sofyan Mbarki, responsible for
economic affairs and addressing issues in the inner city, published their first
evaluation of the campaign.
The videos
were distributed in April, May and June and shown 3.3 million times. “The
campaign results indicate that the approach of the campaign does partially
adjust the image of the city, but it has not yet resulted in a direct decrease
in the city's appeal to the party tourist from the UK,” they wrote.
The first
evaluation shows that the campaign helped raise the issue of over-tourism and
garnered attention both at the national and international level. It is also
being followed with great interest in several European cities. “Never before
has there been a campaign that clearly shows that a certain type of visit is
undesirable,” they wrote in the letter.
However,
the evaluation also shows that a majority of the target group appears to be
mostly unaware of the rules and desired behaviors in the city center, such as
the alcohol and blow ban, the early closing times of the catering industry and
the ban on urinating in public. "In the further development of the
campaign, we are looking at whether we can make the campaign messages more
specific."
It was also
noted that the city remains very attractive among the target group, whether
they have seen the campaign or not. “What kind of city do we want to be? And
how is that perceived abroad? Currently, these images often don't align, and
adjusting them will take time,” they admitted.
“Building a
new image for the city does not happen overnight and goes hand in hand with
actual changes in the city. Unlike ten years ago, we now look at culture,
diversity, the local economy, international companies, and the negative
consequences of over-tourism in new ways. In the coming years, the focus will
be on further developing and promoting a realistic and appealing image of the
city and its residents,” they wrote.
The second
phase of the campaign will begin in early 2024. The current videos will no
longer return, but the discouragement campaign will be further developed.
Research will be conducted on the most effective campaign message and the
campaign will expand to countries in the European Union, including the
Netherlands.
In
addition, a campaign is being launched with amsterdam&partners in which a
“diverse image of Amsterdam” is shown to visitors. Another campaign will start
in early 2024 and will target residents and businesses.
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