“My Marrying Julian for a day probably isn’t going to make Amsterdam a better place but, symbolically, this union between a resident and a tourist does have a strange poignancy,” said Deborah Nicholls-Lee, Tourist. By Swastika Mukhopadhyay
If you’re planning to visit Amsterdam there’s an interesting endeavour you can be a part of. You can marry a local for a day, go on a date and also eat a city pigeon. Amsterdam, in an attempt to reduce the impacts of over tourism, has come up with this notion.
Untourist Guide to Amsterdam is an initiative that focuses on combating over-tourism by ensuring that the rising number of tourists contribute positively to the city. They have introduced a list of measures to bring the tourists and the locals closer, marriage being one of them.
Over-tourism is spreading rapidly and ends up being an inconvenience to the locals residing at a particular place. Amsterdam with a local population of about a million is entertaining about 19 million tourists at present. Experts predict that this number will rise to 29 million in the next decade.
The administration released a statement that it would stop actively promoting as the city wobbles heavily under the huge number of tourists. Deborah Nicholls-Lee who is a tourist married Amsterdam local Julian du Perron (30) and told her story to the Guardian. “Eventually, I relax into it. After all, the wedding is as fake as the flowers that frame the arch above us, and our marriage is for just one day,” she said.
These weddings seek to strengthen the bond between a local and tourist and it also includes a brief honeymoon where the temporary couple can explore the less-crowded and less-popular tourist destinations.
Feature Image Credit: Fokke Baarssen/Shutterstock
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