Sex tourism in Amsterdam is big business. Amsterdam is well known for its canals, bicycles, cannabis coffeeshops and pretty architecture. It is home to the Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum, and attracts a wide variety of tourists year-round, from stag parties and solo travellers to couples and families. Whether visitors have 24 hours in Amsterdam or a week in the city, there is plenty to see and do in the Dutch capital – including the famous Red Light District (known locally as De Wallen), one of the best-known sex tourism areas in the world. This article explains the scale and types of sex tourism in Amsterdam, its impacts, and how the city is trying to manage it.
- What is sex tourism?
- The scale of sex tourism in Amsterdam
- Types of sex tourism in Amsterdam
- Money in sex tourism in Amsterdam
- Who travels to Amsterdam for sex tourism?
- How did the pandemic affect sex tourism in Amsterdam?
- Is sex trafficking an issue in Amsterdam?
- Amsterdam’s sex museum
- Sex tourism in Amsterdam: Further reading
What is sex tourism?
Sex tourism is essentially the concept of travelling to a particular location for the purpose of sex or sexual activities. It may be the sole reason for a trip, or a secondary part of a holiday. Sex tourism, in Amsterdam and elsewhere across the globe, is most generally associated with prostitution although it also applies to sex shows and other similar concepts.
Video: The sex tourism industry around the world
The scale of sex tourism in Amsterdam
Amsterdam is one of the destinations most associated with sex tourism, alongside places like Thailand and The Gambia. This is because Amsterdam is very well known for its Red Light District, sex shows and legal prostitution. Prostitution has long been tolerated in the Netherlands, and in 2000 the ban on brothels was lifted, making sex work legal and regulated. With Amsterdam being the country’s capital and its biggest tourist destination, the scale of sex tourism in the city is considerable.
Estimates suggest that several hundred sex workers work in Amsterdam on any given day. Some work in the windows of the Red Light District, while others work in clubs, private houses or as escorts.
Amsterdam receives around 20 million overnight stays per year – the maximum level set by the city council in an effort to control overtourism – and many more day visitors, so it is no surprise that the city attracts a large number of sex tourists. Sex tourism does not only involve paying for sex, either: visiting the sex museum or watching a live show could also be classed as a form of sex tourism.
Types of sex tourism in Amsterdam
There are a few different types of sex tourism on offer in Amsterdam. The most famous is window prostitution, where prostitutes stand in the windows of the Red Light District enticing customers to come in and pay for their services. This is what springs to mind for most people when they think about sex tourism in Amsterdam. The buildings in which these windows are located are licensed and operate as brothels, with sex workers renting the windows.
Another type of sex tourism in Amsterdam is live sex shows, the most famous of which is Casa Rosso, which has operated in the Red Light District for decades. Shows range from comedy-based and burlesque performances to more explicit acts, and they are a popular stop for stag and hen parties.
There is also a sex museum in Amsterdam – the Venustempel (Temple of Venus), which opened in 1985 and attracts large numbers of tourists every year. It is not a large museum, but for many visitors it is a less intense introduction to the history of sex and sex work than the Red Light District itself.
Money in sex tourism in Amsterdam
There is a lot of money in sex tourism in Amsterdam. Window sex workers rent their windows from operators, paying a fee for each shift, and set their own prices. Sex workers in the Netherlands are required to register with the Chamber of Commerce and pay tax, although many still face stigma and difficulty accessing services such as bank accounts and mortgages.
How much does sex work contribute to the Dutch economy? This figure is difficult to calculate, but one widely reported estimate from 2011 put it at around €550 million per year. Since 2014, Statistics Netherlands has included estimates of illegal and informal activities such as prostitution in its GDP calculations, in line with EU rules.
Who travels to Amsterdam for sex tourism?
Prostitution and other forms of sex work are illegal in many countries across the globe. This is why, in places where it is legal, there tends to be a trend of foreign sex tourists engaging with the industry. Many locals see it as normal and are unfazed by the Red Light District, especially if they have grown up around it.
For tourists coming from countries such as the UK (where the exchange of sex for money is legal but activities such as running a brothel and soliciting in public are not) or the US (where prostitution is illegal everywhere except some counties in Nevada), it is often seen as something exciting and exotic. The stereotype of a sex tourist is an older man, but the reality is more varied. Stag parties made up of younger men are also highly likely to visit the Red Light District and act as a sex tourist – and large numbers of people visit the sex museum. Under a broad definition, this means that many tourists to Amsterdam engage in some form of sex tourism, even if they never pay for sex.
Statistics on who exactly engages in sex tourism by paying for sex are hard to find, as many people are unwilling to admit that this is something they have done during their time in the Dutch capital.
How did the pandemic affect sex tourism in Amsterdam?
When the world shut down in 2020, Amsterdam like many other cities saw a sudden and almost-total drop in tourism figures as international travel was severely restricted, and the majority of people were confined to their homes for weeks or months on end. Being a close-contact activity, sex tourism in Amsterdam was understandably a no-go even after tourists started to flow back into the city.
Of course, this shut down meant that many sex workers lost their income for an extended period of time – as such, they were keen to return to work. When the Red Light District re-opened in July 2020, sex workers had to stick to strict hygiene rules involving no face-to-face contact, disinfecting rooms after each client and also ensuring customers had no visible symptoms before an appointment – in the same way that hairdressers in the city were operating.
Residents living in and around the Red Light District, however, enjoyed the calmer and quieter atmosphere during the pandemic, and many were disappointed when the windows re-opened. In 2020, Time reported that residents’ groups had launched a petition aimed at limiting the number of visitors in the area, and Amsterdam’s mayor, Femke Halsema, proposed moving window prostitution out of De Wallen into a purpose-built ‘erotic centre’ elsewhere in the city. Possible locations for the erotic centre have faced strong opposition from residents and businesses, and the plans remain under discussion.
How is Amsterdam managing sex tourism?
In recent years, Amsterdam has introduced a range of measures to manage sex tourism and the nuisance associated with it. Guided tours of the Red Light District have been banned since April 2020, partly to stop sex workers being treated as a tourist attraction. In 2023, the city banned smoking cannabis on the streets of the Red Light District, brought forward the closing times of windows and bars, and launched a ‘Stay Away’ online campaign targeting young British men planning stag parties and ‘messy’ nights out. Since 2024, Amsterdam has also charged a tourist tax of 12.5% of the room price, one of the highest in Europe.
These measures reflect wider concerns about overtourism in Amsterdam, and the city’s aim of attracting visitors who come for its culture and heritage rather than for alcohol, drugs and sex.
Is sex trafficking an issue in Amsterdam?
Because prostitution is legal in the Netherlands and sex workers pay tax and can join organisations that represent their interests, it is easy to assume there is no sex trafficking issue in Amsterdam. But is that necessarily the case? A 2017 study for the Dutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings, carried out with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, estimated that there were around 6,250 victims of human trafficking in the Netherlands each year, around 4,000 of whom were victims of sexual exploitation. These women (and, unfortunately, girls) are unlikely to be the people seen in the windows of the Red Light District. They’ll be hidden away in darker and dingier parts of town, unable to have any authority over their own bodies like the regulated sex workers at de Wallen do.
Amsterdam’s sex museum
The Venustempel Sex Museum in Amsterdam is, as the name would suggest, a museum dedicated to all things sexual, which emphasises the extent of the sex tourism industry in Amsterdam.
It was the world’s first sex museum, opening in 1985. It examines a variety of aspects of sensual love throughout the ages, with an extensive collection of paintings, pictures, photographs, recordings and more. When the museum first opened, the owners were unsure if anyone would be interested.
But the first stream of visitors were really enthusiastic, and to this day it is one of the most visited museums in the city. Sex is a topic that fascinates many people. Whether people are visiting Amsterdam for the weekend or staying for a longer trip, it seems only natural that a museum dedicated to sex would be really popular.
Even if you only have one day in Amsterdam, the sex museum is a popular stop for many visitors to the city.
From the life-size statue of Priapus, the Greek god of fertility, to a mannequin of Marilyn Monroe… well it’s safe to say there is a lot of variety here.
A sign at the entrance describes the contents of the museum as this: Sex through the centuries from the Greek and Roman times to this day from all the cultures of the world, the Amsterdam red-light district, art gallery, 100 Years photography and film, Sado-club, the history of among others Marilyn Monroe and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and much more.
There are ancient depictions of sex and artefacts that help you learn about the history of sex. From ancient fertility symbols from Rome and Africa (as well as Greece) to medieval chastity belts and images from the Kama Sutra, all labelled and well laid out, the historic part of the museum is incredibly interesting.
The museum is home to a mock red light district, and there are mannequins dotted throughout the building.
Amsterdam’s sex museum isn’t for everyone. There is a lot of graphic art and imagery, as would be expected of a sex museum. From drawings to sculptures to photographs and films, there is a lot of pornography throughout the museum. Some rooms even play heavy breathing and sounds of sexual pleasure through the speakers!
It is also possible to take a virtual tour of the museum on the museum’s website.
Sex tourism in Amsterdam: FAQs
Below are answers to some of the most common questions about sex tourism in Amsterdam.
Is prostitution legal in Amsterdam?
Yes. Prostitution is legal and regulated in the Netherlands, and the ban on brothels was lifted in 2000. Sex workers must be at least 21 to work in Amsterdam and operate from licensed premises.
What is Amsterdam’s Red Light District called?
Amsterdam’s main Red Light District is known locally as De Wallen. It is located in the oldest part of the city centre, around the Oude Kerk.
Are Red Light District tours allowed in Amsterdam?
No. Guided group tours of the Red Light District have been banned since April 2020, to reduce crowding and to stop sex workers being treated as a tourist attraction.
What is Amsterdam doing about sex tourism?
Amsterdam has banned guided tours of the Red Light District, banned cannabis smoking on its streets, introduced earlier closing times, launched campaigns to deter nuisance tourists and proposed moving window prostitution to a new ‘erotic centre’.
Is human trafficking a problem in Amsterdam?
Yes. Despite legal and regulated sex work, a 2017 study estimated that around 6,250 people a year were victims of human trafficking in the Netherlands, around 4,000 of them for sexual exploitation.
Sex tourism in Amsterdam: Further reading
If you found this article on sex tourism in Amsterdam interesting, these articles may also be of interest:
- Amsterdam’s sex museum: Everything you should know
- Social impacts of tourism
- What is ethical tourism and why is it important?
- 150 types of tourism: A glossary
- Overtourism explained: What, why and where
- 20 Popular Types of Hotels Around The World
