As the name “Red Light District” refers explicitly to prostitution, the term will no longer be used on signposts for the Wallen area. D66 tourism alderman Victor Everhardt stated during a city council debate, “Red Light District has a side effect which we don’t want”.

No more “Red Light District” signs

Several parties in the city council feel that Amsterdam should not be endorsing the prostitution sector as a tourist destination. The Christian party CDA believes it is better to use terms like “de Wallen” or “city centre” instead of “Red Light District”, which explicitly refers to the prostitution in the area.

Alderman Everhardt agrees with the opposition parties that the term “Red Light District” has the wrong connotation. He expects that the outcome of all of this will be that that term is no longer used.

So how did this debate come about? Well, according to Everhardt, at the moment a new route to guide tourists through the narrow streets of the city centre is being worked out. Because of this, a discussion arose. Residents of the area are involved in the development of this plan.