AMSTERDAM has banned all organised tours that go through the city’s famous red light district in a bid to stop a culture where tourists “leer at sex workers”.
The crackdown follows a number of new measures that have been brought into place to reduce anti-social behaviour from visitors.
Group tours of more than 15 people will also be banned in the surrounding area, according to Dutch News, with only accredited guides able to host tours.
Finance alderman Udo Kock said: “We do not consider it appropriate for tourists to leer at sex workers.”
The ban will come into place by January 2020.
Research suggests up to 1,000 group tours frequent the red light district every week, which has become popular with tourists wanting to see the area.
Some sex workers were not happy with the move, suggesting it could reduce income.
One woman wrote on Twitter: “I am a sex worker in the Red Light District. And no, we are not happy with Amsterdam’s war on tourism.
“The majority of our clientele are tourists. No tourist is no income for us.”
However, a study found that four in five sex workers felt guided tours hurt their business, according to the Dutch News report.
The city has seen surge in tourists, with numbers expected to hit 29 million by 2030 – compared to the 800,000 people who live there.
Yet city authorities have claimed that men from the UK are causing trouble while visiting the city on stag dos and pub crawls, with the red light district being a common area for them to visit.
It was reported last year that the city has become a “lawless jungle” at night, with police unable to control the drug dealing and street racing that are common.
Shop workers in the De Wallen area of the red light district slammed tourists who continue to take selfies in the area.
This puts some the sex workers at risk, with many keeping their profession hidden from their friends and family.
Amsterdam has been enforcing strict rules to curb tourists who behave badly, Sun Online Travel previously reported.
The red light district has been forced to introduce “mop-up breaks” to clean the areas due to the amount of vomit.
Tourist taxes and large fines for bad behaviour in the streets have also been introduced in recent years.