Amsterdam – Everyone's gay in Amsterdam.

At least, that's according to a new tourism campaign to bring more homosexuals from the United States to the Dutch capital city.

The initiative will be launched in North America by the Netherlands tourism board, Delta Airlines and the Amsterdam tourism bureau.

Advertisements with the slogan ‘Everyone’s gay in Amsterdam’ will first appear September in magazines such as Out and The Advocate.

Campaign organisers said that the phrase means more than just sexuality.

“The slogan refers to the original meaning of the word gay, namely happy...to be happy, to be yourself,” said Conrad van Tiggelen, location manager for the Netherlands tourism board in North America.

'Everyone's gay in Amsterdam' also reflects the attitude of the city, according to Stefan Diender, director of the Amsterdam tourism board.

“The tolerance in Amsterdam is based on respect and acceptance between the different types of people,” he said. “'Live and let live' is a popular expression here.”

The push to attract more gay Americans to Amsterdam is largely a matter of economics.

In a press release, the tourism organisations quoted research that "gay travellers are less willing to give up a foreign holiday than the average American."

Homosexuals constitute one of the few social groups who, despite the economic crisis, still go on holiday and have relatively large amounts of money to spend, the press release continued.

The campaign website can be found here.

Radio Netherlands / Jennifer Evans / Expatica