News of: Sunday, February 12 2006,
Amsterdam appears no longer to be the 'Gay Capital of Europe'. This is the result of research by the department 'Leisure Management' of the Inholland University.
Amsterdam as a popular destination for gay travellers now comes after cities like London, Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona and Paris.
For Amsterdam this is a disadvantage, as gay tourists spend 43% more than other tourists, according to the research. Also, they stay longer in the city.
Although the number of tourists to Amsterdam has gone up in the past few years, the number of gay visitors shows a decline.
Amsterdam still gets a '9' (on a scale of 1 to 10) for aspects like tolerance, and for facilities as accommodation, restaurants and pubs & clubs.
Inhabitants of Amsterdam are not so positive themselves about Amsterdam's image - they give a '7'.
The main reason for the competition by the other cities is that Amsterdam is 'not innovative enough' and has 'too much restrictive rules and legislation'. According to the travel organizers the city should be more 'trendy'.
