YORK leaders are being warned that efforts to discourage stag and hen dos are 'backfiring spectacularly'- as campaigns to keep revellers away are causing more groups to visit.

Last week, Dutch officials unveiled a major crackdown on British tourists groups of revellers asked to ‘stay away’ from Amsterdam.

In York plans by City of York Council for an online guide that would encourage groups to book tables in restaurants in the hope that eating more food will help moderate alcohol-fuelled excess.

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York was awarded Purple Flag status – a scheme that 'recognises excellence in the management of city centres at night' – in February last year.

And the council’s director of transport, environment and planning James Gilchrist has said in the past that organisations involved with the Purple Flag accreditation across the city, including the police and Make it York, are looking at ways to encourage people to behave properly and York will follow other cities in producing a guide for partygoers.

But the boss of stag and hen do provider Last Night of Freedom has said the only thing such efforts had succeeded in doing is making groups more determined to party there.

“Our Amsterdam stag do bookings are up 50 per cent since the campaign launched, so clearly the message to ‘stay away’ isn’t getting through,” said Matt Mavir, managing director.

“The campaign is backfiring spectacularly and the psychology behind that is obvious – if you tell people no, they just want it more.”

He said figures from the firm show that the pattern is being mirrored in both York and Edinburgh, which have both made headlines in recent months for opposition towards booming stag and hen sectors.

York has exploded in popularity as a stag and hen destination over the past year. Figures supplied by Last Night of Freedom showed the firm’s bookings alone are up 98 per cent during the past 12 months.

York Central MP, Rachael Maskell, has accused the firm of 'wanting to make profit out of the misery' of people living in the city and said that if Mr Mavir lived anywhere near York, he would clearly hear the concerns that residents have across the city with the prevalence of groups drinking in the city, including those here for stag and hen weekends.

Back in August Ms Maskell said: “With the sharp rise in ‘airbnb’ holiday-lets across the city, residents report how city centre drunken behaviour is then taken into their neighbourhoods.

"It is also impacting on businesses as people are no longer going into York, and parents consistently tell me that they will not expose their children to such scenes whereas visitors tell me they will not be back until something is done.

“The night time economy is running out of control, with York being marked out as the UK’s capital of hen parties.

"We need to put it to a stop, place the needs of residents first and return our city to the people of York.”

Mr Mavir said: “York instead grown into one of Europe’s most popular hen do destinations, while after the initial backlash, any talk of ‘party zones’ went quiet very quickly.

"In Amsterdam, officials are planning an even tougher crackdown. British tourists are being warned via a targeted online campaign that a ‘messy’ weekend could lead to a criminal conviction or a hefty fine if they are caught misbehaving.

"Civic leaders are set to close bars earlier, ban public cannabis use and move the infamous Red-Light District away from the city centre."

The campaign has made global headlines since it was unveiled last week, although it has also been met with wave of opposition. Sex workers are among those planning to formally protest the measures.

Mr Mavir said: “Ultimately, while you can make people know that they are not welcome, you can’t stop someone visiting your city just because they are celebrating the fact they are about to get married.

“So these campaigns – be it in Amsterdam, York or Edinburgh – are ultimately counter productive.”