A campaign urging tourists to "stay away" from a popular destination is working, as visitor numbers have reduced since launching earlier this year.

There has been a downturn in the amount of Brits heading to Amsterdam for a holiday, following the release of a video from the Dutch city's council to discourage "nuisance tourists" from visiting for a "messy weekend".

Released in March 2023, the advert depicts recreations of anti-social behaviour commonly seen in the capital of the Netherlands by tourists who come for the city's red light district and cannabis cafés. Since then, there has been a 22 per cent drop in British visitors compared to pre-pandemic levels.

The clip depicts cautionary scenarios of men worse for wear, with some arrested and fingerprinted by police, Wales Online reports. It also warns of the serious consequences of drug taking and alcohol consumption, which include fines, hospitalisations, a criminal record and health damage.

Originally aimed ad males aged 18-35, the online advertisement would appear those who searched terms on the internet like "stag party Amsterdam", "pup crawl Amsterdam" or "cheap hotel Amsterdam".

Beverley Boden, head of the department for aviation, tourism, finance and marketing at Teesside University International Business School, told The Independent: "The Dutch government has taken a unique approach to managing the swarms of people big European cities experience, and may seem contradictory, especially at a time when tourist bodies are battling to raise the number of visitors coming in.

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