To many, it’s one of Europe’s great party cities and attracts tourists by the million that come in search of a good time, a few drinks, and maybe a little something else!

Now, Amsterdam wants to, in effect, limit its appeal to a certain type of tourist in a campaign that takes the no-nonsense title of ‘Stay Away’. Deputy Mayor of the city that sees around 20 million visitors every year, Sofyan Mbarki, was clear that “action is needed to prevent nuisance and overcrowding”, and that “to keep our city liveable, we need to choose limits instead of irresponsible growth”.

‘Stay Away’ is directed at those seeking certain types of entertainment, with some of their behaviour making life unbearable for Amsterdam residents. The campaign also wants to tackle the sheer numbers visiting, and aims to make it clear that the following visitors are no longer welcome:

Cannabis and drug tourists – the cities cafés and coffee shops that sell cannabis are a draw to many visiting the city, especially those from countries with more draconian drug laws. There are 92 in the centre of the city and research shows that half of those visiting plan to call in at a coffee shop during their stay. New regulations could see a ban on smoking cannabis in the street and not allowing coffee bars in the Red Light District to sell the drug at weekends.

Bachelor parties – if you’ve been to the city then you’ve probably seen groups of men staggering around the city, especially in the Red Light District, many the worse for wear for drink, drugs or both. Plans are in place to mandate for earlier closing times for bars and brothels and outlawing organised pub crawls.

Sex tourists – prostitution is legal in the city and has been regulated at a government level for two decades. It has made Amsterdam an international centre for brothels, peep shows, strip clubs and sex shops in the world-renowned Red-Light District, with proposals to limit opening hours and put restrictions on the businesses operating in the area to show sex tourists they are not welcome.

There have also been discussions about a potential tourist tax but city officials want to reiterate those wishing to enjoy the beaty of the city’s canals, visit the numerous world-renowned art galleries, enjoy a meal in one of the city’s restaurants, or a drink or two in the many bars, are all still welcome.