Why market Amsterdam?
Amsterdam is a city with a long trade tradition and a
strong reputation for culture and innovation. However,
the position of Amsterdam as a major national
and international cultural centre has for some time
been threatened by a sharpening of competition
from other cities both within and outside The Netherlands.
Research undertaken by the city’s organisations
indicates that Amsterdam’s position is
dropping in various international rankings, for
example as a city of conferences (City of Amsterdam,
2004) and while over the past decades Amsterdam
has scored well as a business location,
competition is also rising in this area.
As a tourism destination, the city has been under
threat by several European cities. The image of
Amsterdam as a tourism destination is based on
two major themes (Ashworth and Tunbridge,
1990). The first is dominated by the urban design
of the early modern period. It is an image of Vermeer
townscapes composed of tightly packed canal-
side buildings; a wealthy ‘Golden Age’ trading
city. The second is the current popular image of
the city which was formed in the late 60s and is
based upon a youth culture of sexual liberalism
and narcotic indulgence; a radical hippie-Mecca.
The problem with this composite image was its very
success at becoming established and recognised
which has made change difficult and has largely fos-