The changing narrative of Amsterdam on city branding and tourism, a case study on the Stay Away! campaign

The implementation of the Stay Away! campaign in 2023—a policy aimed at deterring so-called ‘nuisance tourists’. Signals a significant shift away from the liberal and tolerant identity of Amsterdam. This research analyses this changing stance by using a critical discourse analysis on municipality documents between 2017 to 2025. The most important findings show how the municipality has transformed the use liveability from a simple monitoring element towards a legitimizing tool for restrictive measures such as the Stay Away! campaign—within the previously mentioned time span. Furthermore, the analysis shows the emerging connection of liveability with accessibility, sustainability and balance, creating a grounded justification for the recently taken policy measures on tourism. This highlights a multidimensional, intersectional approach to contemporary urban governance in Amsterdam.