Amsterdam launches promotional campaign for Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

Amsterdam invites visitors who have already experienced the world-famous canals, the incomparable red light district, the hip and cosy Jordaan district and the buzzing nightlife to discover the fact that Amsterdam is much larger than they ever imagined. This is because the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area boasts a distinctive and diverse selection of attractions and landscapes. Everything from sun-kissed beaches and undulating dunes, fantastic lakes to countless windmills, historic fishing villages and naturally endless fields of flowers are all on Amsterdam’s doorstep. This is the key message of the new campaign that Amsterdam Tourism & Convention Board (ATCB) is aiming at repeat visitors to Amsterdam. The campaign was launched at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London on 9 November 2010. ATCB will kick-off the campaign targeting consumers in the spring of 2011.

ATCB brought the travel trade's attention to the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area in a fun and innovative way at the WTM. It had photographers roam the WTM to take photos of fair visitors and attach them to a photo flyer. The visitors were then encouraged to drop by the Amsterdam booth at the fair with the photo flyer and leave behind a business card to have a chance to win 500 Euros. A staggering number of two hundred representatives from the tourist industry participated in the contest. They were surprised to find out that the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area offers a great variety of attractions, is compact and easily accessible. The winner of the photo flyer competition is announced on the website www.iamsterdam.com/trade     

Infinitely more than windmills and tulip fields
When developing the campaign, ATCB approached the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area from the visitors' perspective. What are their wishes and expectations when they visit the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area? This resulted in a selection of sights and attractions that may come as a surprise to many international visitors. The offering extends far beyond the exceptionally beautiful traditional windmills and tulip fields. The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area features no less than seventeen distinctive areas that showcase a total spectrum of natural and cultural sights ranging from flowers, beaches, dunes and lakes to historic windmills, fortresses, towns and fishing villages. What's more, all these attractions are less than an hour's journey from Amsterdam by public transport.

ATCB is focusing the campaign on the nearby markets of the UK, Germany, France and Belgium. The Welcome to Amsterdam booklet provides an excellent overview of all seventeen areas. This publication is available at the Dutch Tourist Information Offices (VVV) and at the various locations of the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions.

Additional information and a map of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area are available at www.iamsterdam.com

Information for the general public is available on www.iamsterdam.com/visiting and via telephone number +31 (0)20 201 8800.

For more press information and visual materials, please contact:
Amsterdam Tourism & Convention Board, Press Office, tel. +31(0)20 551 25 34 (35), e-mail: pressoffice@atcb.nl, www.atcb.nl Visual materials are available at www.amsterdamimage.com