The wrong kind of tourists? Give us a break

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [SUBSCRIBE]( [SUBSCRIBE: £1 FOR 3 MONTHS]( March 31, 2023 [View in browser](   [The Independent]( [The Independent]( Every destination on the planet wants the right kind of tourists: well-heeled, well-behaved individuals who will engage with the local people, appreciate their culture and, as the saying goes, leave only footprints. Wish they were here? The Dutch are wearying of the excesses of 'binge-drinking stag and hen parties from England'   [Get inspired...]( Bargain destinations]( The [20 cheapest holiday spots]( around the world, from Cape Town to the Costa del Sol [I'm an image]( [Channel Islands hotels]( Discover our pick of the [top places to stay]( on Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Herm and Sark [I'm an image]( The ultimate guide to Scotland]( From Highlands and islands to dynamic, culture-packed cities, [here's what to see and do](   Simon’s dispatches The wrong kind of tourists are often all too easy to attract. Just ask the citizens of handsome eastern European capitals such as Tallinn, Riga and Prague. They are among the destinations of choice for young British travellers in search of cut-price hedonism. Much to the chagrin of the citizenry, but to the benefit of bar owners, they seek to drink so much that, compared with UK prices, they can convince themselves they have saved the cost of the flight. A much closer and more accessible destination, though, has an extra dimension that appeals to the party crowd: the open sale of marijuana. Drugs and alcohol converge in Amsterdam's Red Light District, which is also the historic core of the city. As a research assignment, the worst aspect of assessing the cultural aspects of the De Wallen area of the Dutch capital on a morning walk is underfoot – the way your soles squelch across a foul film of congealed beer and other evidence of over-indulgence. “Binge-drinking stag and hen parties from England make their way to our city,” highlights the official Vision on Tourism in Amsterdam 2035 report. They leave a lot more than footprints. The city’s tourist office feels obliged to put out the message: “Limit noise and drunkenness, clean up your mess and don’t pee in the canals.” No wonder the residents have had enough. Under what is known as the Amsterdam Agreement (a title that has echoes of lads deciding to converge on the Dutch capital), [the authorities have vowed to “combat bachelor parties that cause disturbances and organised pub crawls”](. As part of that campaign, [young British travellers are being actively discouraged from visiting Amsterdam](. The hope is that the city will become more appealing to the right kind of tourists. Read more: [Amsterdam's best hotels]( In Manchester, meanwhile, from tomorrow the city coffers will benefit from [a new £1 per room per night tourism tax](. The “City Visitor Charge” is likely to be emulated soon by Edinburgh, with the government in Wales passing legislation to allow for similar charges. As a percentage of the cost of a room, it looks negligible. Yet these fees add complexity as well as cost to the consumer and have a habit of mushrooming. But, as a deterrent to low budget travellers, some feel they have a place. In Amsterdam, the tourist tax is 7 per cent plus a flat €3 per person per night. On a double room costing €100, that totals €13. Much as I believe in keeping travel as democratically affordable as possible, I imagine that bumping up this tax, known as the toeristenbelasting, may be the path the Dutch capital chooses in its pursuit of the “right kind” of tourists. [The destinations that are discouraging tourism, including Venice, Santorini and Cornwall](     Tip of the week: Gibraltar’s airport tunnel opens Of the many weird and wonderful aspects of Gibraltar, one of the strangest is the way the main road from Spain into the British Overseas Territory crosses the airport runway. At 12.01am this morning, the airport tunnel opened to take all vehicular traffic. There is “a separate subway to provide a safe route for pedestrians [and] cyclists,” but people travelling on foot or by bike can continue to cross the runway along Winston Churchill Avenue (except when planes are landing or taking off). With motorised traffic diverted, this enticing experience should be much more peaceful than before. Work began on the tunnel in 2008, but was delayed for five years due to litigation on the quality of construction. [Our latest guide to spending 48 hours in Gibraltar]( Deal of the week: Dutchflyer Rail & Sail to the Netherlands Stena Line and Greater Anglia combine to offer a [train and ferry service from London]( (or any station in the Greater Anglia region, including Cambridge and Norwich) via Harwich to Hook of Holland. Fares start at £57 one way, if you book at least a week ahead, though test bookings suggest £62 is more typical. For overnight sailings a cabin is mandatory: a single cabin costs £45 in addition to the basic fare. Hook of Holland is on the [Rotterdam]( Metro system, with connections possible from the city centre to all Dutch destinations. [The ultimate travel guide to the Netherlands]( £99 £20 for 1 year ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more [SUBSCRIBE NOW](   Question of the week: Tipping in Australia and New Zealand Q I read your newsletter last week about [tipping in the US](. My wife and I are going to Australasia for the first time. What is the tipping culture Down Under? A British travellers are, in my experience, not brilliant at tipping abroad. Many UK holidaymakers seem to think that adding 10 per cent to the bill is the appropriate figure in any setting. Yet [in the US that figure will be perceived as insultingly low](, while in many other locations it is unnecessarily high: if you want to do as the Romans when in Rome, you might leave a couple of euros on a €50 meal bill, but there is no problem if you do not. Tipping is simply not part of the culture in East Asian countries such as China, Korea and Japan, and sometimes tourists are actively discouraged from leaving any change. Australia and New Zealand are not quite as extreme. Tourism Australia says: “Hotels and restaurants do not add service charges to your bill, and tipping is always your choice.” Similarly, New Zealand Tourism says: “Tipping in New Zealand is not obligatory, even in restaurants and bars…Tipping for good service or kindness is at the discretion of the visitor.” Were you to leave 10 per cent in an upmarket restaurant in Sydney or Auckland, it would no doubt be appreciated – but it is certainly not obligatory. Minimum wage legislation means waiting staff are properly rewarded. In cities, if a taxi fare is $10.50 and you are paying in cash, the driver is likely to round it down – in a sense, tipping you. The one exception I make is for Uber drivers, who I feel are not as well-rewarded as they deserve to be worldwide. But you can happily go through your entire trip without tipping a single cent, and no one will think the worse of you. [Read more: Our guide to everything you need to know about a trip to Australia]( STAT OF THE WEEK 7 Number of bus routes involved in [the plan by the Mayor of London for a Superloop around the capital]( (apart from a stretch across the Thames). What you might have missed... - Hot cross travellers: [All the major rail engineering works over Easter]( - Buyer’s remorse: [one-fifth of Brits instantly regret their holiday booking, a survey claims](//link.e.independent.co.uk/click/31016733.10387/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5kZXBlbmRlbnQuY28udWsvdHJhdmVsL25ld3MtYW5kLWFkdmljZS9ibHVlLWFpci1yb21hbmlhLWZsaWdodHMtc3VzcGVuZGVkLWIyMTYxNTY1Lmh0bWw/583d2887487ccd777a8b7489B557140c3 - Louvre lost : [Top Paris tourist attraction closed by protesters]( SIMON'S DIARY Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My direct messages are open and I read all DMs, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder]( I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My direct messages are open and I read all DMs, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder]( Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 5.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on [@Simon_Calder]( Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 5.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on [@Simon_Calder]( Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via [@caldertravel]( Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via [@caldertravel]( [INDYBEST]( / [TRAVEL BEST BUY]( [Cabin-sized rucksacks tried and tested on hiking holidays and city breaks]( From [lightweight]( to [waterproof designs](, these are the [best travel backpacks](. 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