Dutch fence off tulip fields to stop selfie-takers crushing flowers

Barriers put up to deter ‘careless’ tourists from seeking perfect picture among bulbs

Daniel Boffey in Amsterdam
Wed 24 Apr 2019 11.47 BST Last modified on Wed 24 Apr 2019 15.18 BST

Barriers and advertising banners are being erected around fields in the tulip bulb region of the Netherlands in an attempt to deter a growing number of tourists from flattening the flowers to take selfies.

Tourists have been seen jumping above the tulips to secure the perfect picture, or lying down in the middle of fields, squashing the bulbs.

Simon Pennings, a grower near the town of Noordwijkerhout in the bulb region of south-west Netherlands, was the first to erect a barrier in his field, emblazoned with the slogan of a pilot campaign backed by the local tourist board: “Enjoy the flowers, respect our pride.”

“They are so careless,” Pennings said of the tourists. “We get large groups of people visiting, which we find very nice and fun, but they flatten everything. It is a shame and we suffer damage as a result. Last year, I had a plot with €10,000 [£8,700] in damage. Everything was trampled … They want to take that selfie anyway.”

Nicole van Lieshout from the local tourist office said a group of 40 “ambassadors” – a voluntary team of guides, including retired farmers – will seek to teach visitors about the history of the tulip fields.

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