According to research commissioned by the municipality of Amsterdam and the Koninklijke Algemenee Vereeniging voor Bloembollencultuur (KAVB), the tulip bulbs at the Amsterdam flower market are mostly duds- they will never bloom.
The tulip bulbs are a popular souvenir for tourists who visit the Amsterdam flower market. Following complaints and observations by residents, entrepreneurs and the KAVB, Amsterdam decided this needed further investigation. Buyers were found to be deliberately misled both in the Amsterdam flower market and on the Bloembollenboulevard along the N208 in Lisse, another tulip-and-tourist hotspot, according to RTL Nieuws.
Only 1 percent of tulip bulbs bloomed
The research revealed some really surprising results. Firstly, only 1 percent of the bulbs bought by the researchers at the Amsterdam flower market bloomed; this was 2 percent with the market in Lisse. Furthermore, the tulips that did bloom were nothing like those advertised on the package.
?De gemeente #Amsterdam liet een extern onderzoeksbureau maar liefst 1.364 tulpenbollen kopen. Hoeveel daarvan kwamen daadwerkelijk tot bloei, denk je? Lees het antwoord hier. #opgelichthttps://t.co/lSTRRpb5XS
— Opgelicht?! (@opgelicht) October 15, 2019
Image of tulip bulbs damaged
The chairman of the KAVB noted that this deceit could have lasting consequences for the image of the Netherlands. “Millions of tourists and day-trippers are the victims of this. The tulip is our national symbol and the bulb sector is an important sector for the Dutch economy. As an association, we find it very unfortunate that scammers structurally mislead consumers and damage the image of the bulb sector.”
Okay, opdoeken die malafide handel en er een leuke wandelpromenade van maken. Misleiding op Amsterdamse bloemenmarkt: tulpenbollen komen bijna nooit uithttps://t.co/FRDPOqtq45
— Erik M. Maitimo (@automaiti) October 15, 2019
Further investigations of tulip bulb scam
The municipality of Amsterdam, the KAVB and the municipality of Lisse sent a letter to the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) on Monday, requesting them to further investigate and deal with the deceit.
Have you ever bought any of these bulbs? Have they bloomed? Let us know in the comments below.
Feature image: Source: PublicDomainPictures/Pixabay.
Sometimes I by bulbs on the flowermarket and they are fine. Also as presents for other people like my mother. No complains.
I spent probably $100 buying tulip bulbs over the years in Amsterdam and none of them ever bloom