Aug 28, 2023 at 11:04 AM Update: 32 minutes ago
The inhabitants of the Austrian town of Hallstatt protested last weekend against the tourists who flock to the village.
Hallstatt, which is on the World Heritage List, has less than a thousand inhabitants. But in high season there are up to ten thousand visitors per day.
And the residents are done with that. About 120 people took to the streets and blocked a tunnel, among other things. As a result, buses full of tourists could not drive any further.
The villagers want a limit on the number of daily tourists. They also want a ban on tour buses after 5 p.m.
While tourism has been good for Hallstatt’s economy, it is spiraling out of control. “There are simply too many visitors,” the residents say. Hallstatt received about one million visitors a year before the corona pandemic.
Foto: Getty Images
China built replica of Hallstatt
Hallstatt is famous for the picturesque houses on the shores of a mountain lake. The lake is surrounded by steep mountains, which gives Hallstatt a beautiful view. The village is therefore a tourist hotspot.
The popularity increased even more when Hallstatt appeared in a South Korean romantic film in 2006. Six years later, China built a replica of Hallstatt.
The Austrian village is one of the most touristic destinations in Europe. In May, residents built a wooden wall along the view to protest noise from traffic and people wanting to take photos. After a reaction on social media, the wall was removed.
The mayor previously said he wanted to cut the number of buses passing through Hallstatt by a third. It is not yet known whether the protests will have any effect.
Image: AFP
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Austria Abroad
2023-08-28 09:04:16
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