No.

I like Amsterdam as a city, as well as an entertainment venue, but putting aside the overall atmosphere of decadent freedom and overt yet safe seediness that Amsterdam promises, there are too many European cities yet to visit that offer plenty of history, museums, architecture and/or scenery.

I love travel, and try to get abroad at least twice a year... always to different places and different cultures. However, it's that overall atmosphere in Amsterdam that draws me back every year.

Change that, and I'll be using that valuable time and cash exploring places I've never been to before...

"Holland isn't a 3rd world country and doesn't depend on tourism for it's economy. "

We were not talking about Holland, but the city centre of Amsterdam, which is very much reliant upon tourism.

The industral areas also, would suffer a severe knock on effect shuold toursm suffer, as families whose main income comes from manufacturing or teritarty industries also have second earners, usually in a tourist related industry.

Comming from a torist economy myself I can verify this with personal experience.

You would be surprised how much tourism contributes to an economy and how quickly a recession can follow when tourism drops.

But then again, I am not an economist, although I think I can see "shooting ones self in the foot" when I see it.

Politicos like to tell fundamentalist right wingers "we are gonna clean up this town" and then do as little as possible because they know they need plenty of safe, clean brothels for the convention business as well as tourists and locals who need them. it's true for just about every city of any size in the world. closing 30 windows or so sounds about right for the formula.

People who waste any time vowing to shut down prostitution are mosquitos biting an iron bull.

Interesting ideas and opinions here, time will tell of course.....

What I'm wondering is which 30 windows are under 'threat'? I've heard things myself, but I'm wondering if there is a reliable list out there in a public forum.

Probably not, but does anyone have any good info hrere?

I expect they'll start with the solitary windows around the Singel where real estate would be pricey..

I'm not one to bag on things.... but here's my take on it.

Myself I travel to A'dam every year with a group of about 12. 10 of us go for the weed, the other 2 are there for the girls and weed. Here in the US you get busted for a joint and forget it if you get a girl and get caught.

I've been all over the city and outside the city as well. I love it there. But one of my main reasons for visiting this great city is the weed. I've talked with my friends about this, if the girls and weed were gone, we would not visit anymore. Might seem like the wrong reason, but the question was asked.

I certainly hope like Wim said that this is just some political shit people in office are doing just to look busy because here in Honolulu it did happen.I remember back in the early 80,s when i first came to Hawaii,for anyone who,s been here,the place to monger then was Hotel St in downtown Honolulu.You can get a S+F for around 20USD.The end came in the late 90,s when big money and the likes of Job Cohen(mayor of Amsterdam)decided to change it all.Now a good part of Hotel St is yuppie oriented-Art galleries,upscale bars ,etc.Not a single hooker in sight.They did not stop our scene at all,just made it either more expensive or dangerous depending where you go.Instead of being on Hotel St ,they moved to all the dark side streets where you,re at the mercy of pimps,etc.There was a murder over a hooker just a few days ago there.The other way it went is the good lookers went to Waikiki where the absolute minimum for a 50 Euro type S+F from a 9-10 looking lady is 200Usd.Actually i told a girl who wanted $400 from me right after i got back from Amsterdam a few months ago what i paid in the Wallen and she walked away from me.i did hook up with her for$200 later only because she knew another girl i was seeing,but the service was rushed even compared to the Wallen standards!The only place i,ve been recently that,s more expensive is Paris.

I hope this don,t happen in AMS since like someone else said there,s plenty other placed nearby to go that is reasonable,for me it,s Achterdam in Alkmaar or the FKK,s in Germany

"Holland isn't a 3rd world country and doesn't depend on tourism for it's economy. "

"We were not talking about Holland, but the city centre of Amsterdam, which is very much reliant upon tourism. "

Well said. I can't imagine the hotel rooms would still be so pricey without RLD kamer. But, does anyone know how the Amsterdamers react to the new policy?