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There is a huge volume of money involved in the tourism industry, and LGBT people provide a more than proportionate share of it. That is why attention has been paid to this target group for decades: including hotels and airlines – but also destinations.

The title ‘Gay Capital‘ plays a role in this – a title that Amsterdam lost – but also the city itself. Amsterdam made a few attempts, with I AMSTERDAM they toyed with the rainbow a bit, but it didn’t really work very well with ‘Marketing the Rainbow’.

Official Policy: ‘Amsterdam Gay Capital’

After a few internationally publicized incidents, the municipality released a policy memorandum on ‘Amsterdam Gay Capital’ in early 2007, to make the city ‘tolerant, healthy, safe and vibrant’ again. This was drawn up together with a wide range of representatives from the LGBT community. The policy included 40 action points, such as:

• Studying the viability of a Gay Museum and finding a good location for it (now topical again!)
• Simplification of the licensing system for major events and related activities, and gay horeca
• Expansion of Pride activities with flags, facilities and foreign outreach guests
• Designate a contact person for all LGBT-related issues
• Ensure that the Tourism Board specifically addresses LGBT visitors
• Including diversity in school programs

A subsequent 2008 initiative to create a Gay Walk of Fame has so far failed to get off the ground. That year, the Amsterdam Tourism & Convention Board (ATCB, now amsterdam&partners), in collaboration with a local gay entrepreneur, opened the Gay Tourist Information Center (GAYtic) and introduced a free information kit. There is still a GAYtic page on Facebook, but it is no longer maintained. GAYtic itself has also more or less disappeared. Pink Point Amsterdam, an information kiosk at the Homomonument on the Westermarkt, has existed since 1998. This is an entrepreneurial initiative.

Zero tolerance policy?

In June 2009, the Amsterdam city council launched a three-year campaign worth 1.2 million euros to turn the tide. The campaign tackled the issue from both sides: a zero-tolerance policy on hate crimes – in collaboration with the police and the Ministry of Justice – was to address safety concerns, but the campaign would also focus on social initiatives to improve the lives of LGBT people in Amsterdam to improve.

We live 14 years later, but due to a lack of money and personnel, this initiative has not become what it should be. In 2021, in response to questions from the Green party, the city council stated that the annual number of related incidents had increased to 296. The percentage of incidents against sexual orientation increased from 34% to 39% of all reported discrimination cases. The visibility of the special police team Pink in Blue, of which former police spokesperson Ellie Lust was the figurehead, was ‘significantly reduced’ after her departure.

Last year, Mayor Halsema called the many anti-LGBT incidents ‘a cultural problem, originating from frat boys and conservative young people’. (NB: she was hinting at certain ethnic minorities)

Everyone’s Gay in Amsterdam

After the new policy was drafted, the Dutch Tourist Board (NBTC) launched a new advertising campaign in North America with the slogan ‘Everyone’s Gay in Amsterdam’. It featured posters of smiling people (and animals) and was designed to reflect the city’s “inclusive and welcoming atmosphere”, rather than focusing on gay stereotypes or sexualized images. In this context, ‘gay’ not only refers to sexual orientation, but also to the old meaning of ‘cheerful’. It’s about “the attitude of the people in this great European city,” according to VisualMerc, the New York-based agency that created the campaign’s website.

The campaign appeared in editions of Here Media’s Out and The Advocate, among others. The multimedia campaign with Here Media included digital content and special webisodes highlighting Amsterdam on OutTraveler.com, a half-hour travel special on Here Networks, and a series of events co-hosted with the NBTC in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The first was with a luxurious party at the Bogardus Mansion in the exclusive Tribeca neighborhood. The photo booth was the big success of the evening (see also main image above, with TV star Andy Cohen).

The campaign was co-sponsored by Air France-KLM and SkyTeam partner Delta Airlines, and was nominated for the Outstanding Print Campaign award by GLAAD.

A few years before, the famous Rijksmuseum was depicted on a billboard with the text ‘Amsterdam celebrates male bonding, dress up in gold to parade’ with an image from Rembrandt’s Night Watch.

A little later, light artist Daan Roosegaarde turned Central Station into a Rainbow Station. This looked very festive, but had nothing to do with any LGBT activity.

Pride Photo Award

In 2010, COC Amsterdam, IHLIA, the Homomonument Foundation and the Baarsjes district in Amsterdam organized the first Pride Photo Award. The photo exhibition presented images that ‘reflect the true nature of Amsterdam Gay Capital: a city where every person can be themselves.’ It was intended to increase the visibility of Amsterdam as a Gay Capital, internationally, nationally and locally. With this exhibition, the organizers wanted to break through prejudices and stereotypes. Photographers were asked to submit their best photos that showcase the “diversity of sexual orientation and identity.”

As with World Press Photo, the best photos were chosen in a number of categories. After the central exhibition, the winning photos were placed in the middle of a residential area (in fact this turned out to be a predominantly Muslim area). The organizers wanted to stimulate discussion and increase the visibility of sexual diversity in the neighborhood and on the street. Subsequent exhibitions were in the Oude Kerk in the red light district. The award became an annual event.

EuroPride

Despite the financial difficulties of the 1998 Gay Games, the city managed to win the 2016 EuroPride bid (it had already done so in 1994). This meant that the usual one-week Pride festival was extended to two weeks, with many social, cultural, sporting and political events. This of course included the famous canal parade, as well as the Pink Saturday, which changes cities every year. PostNL issued a series of stamps for the occasion.

Many companies hopped on the Pride train, either with a boat in the canal parade, by sponsoring events at the festival or with an often mainstream campaign to support diversity.

WorldPride 2026

As part of Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary, WorldPride will be organized in Amsterdam in 2026. This bid for this renowned event was won earlier this year and not only fits in with the city’s anniversary, but also commemorates:

• 80 years of COC, the oldest LGBT interest group in the world
• 30 years of Pride Amsterdam
• 25 years of ‘gay marriage’, which was introduced in the Netherlands as the first country in the world
• 20 years of Workplace Pride, a foundation that helps companies implement diversity in the workplace

They are already working hard to implement the programme, including to integrate it with the anniversary celebrations, which will last a year.

Conclusion

Amsterdam does not seem to understand that they can alleviate the tourist pressure somewhat – and upgrade it – by bringing in interesting LGBT travelers. The municipal policy seemed to be a step in the right direction, but only the foundation was laid: too little was done with it. The title of Gay Capital has been lost a long time ago, but Amsterdam also does little (original) about Marketing the Rainbow, and they are somewhat scornful about the rainbows. They score a 5.

Alfred Verhoeven is a marketer and is in the final phase of his PhD research Marketing the Rainbow. He previously wrote for ILOVEGAY about I Amsterdam, Gay Capital, The Ideal Traveler, Diversity & Language, Playing with Pronouns, Abercrombie & Fitch : The Rise & The Fall, Play the gayme: about SIMS and Candy Crush, Diversity in Toys, LEGO does the rainbow, Barbiemania, Bud Light and the 4 bln dollar woman, Dutch retailer HEMA loves everybody, Pronouns, About those rainbows, Alphabet soup, M&M’s and the lesbian invasion, Magnum and the lesbian wedding, Marketing the Rainbow: the process and all that came before it, Sport and (un)sportmanship,  Why you need a supplier diversity program, BeNeLux LGBTIQ+ Business Chamber (BGLBC), From B2C and B2B to B2G and G2G (oh, and G2C), The Men from Atlantis, The other kind of cruising, Booking.com, Home Deco, Haters and trolls: the ‘letter to the editor’ of the 21st century, 5 Bizarre LGBT Videos, TRANSparency, Transgender persons as a target group, Matchmaking, 5 videos that went viral, From Representation To Respect, Cultural sensitivities and social involvement in marketing, 4 reasons to practice diversity and The Rules of Market Segmentation.