Austrian Town Protests Against Mass Tourism

Locals in the Austrian town of Hallstatt have taken part in a protest against mass tourism.

Hallstatt, which is a World Heritage Site, has just over 700 inhabitants but gets up to as many as 10,000 visitors a day during high season.

Report says residents are calling for limits on the number of daily tourists, and for a ban on tour buses after 17:00 local time.

While tourism has been good for Hallstatt’s economy, some locals say there are simply too many visitors.

Hallstatt, with its picturesque old houses on the shores of a pristine Alpine lake surrounded by craggy mountains, has become a tourism hotspot in recent years.

Many visitors come in search of the perfect selfie, with the lake, the slim pale grey church tower, and the stunning mountain scenery as a backdrop.

As one of Europe’s most over-touristed destinations some locals say there are simply too many visitors, especially day trippers, who are bused into town in large coaches.

In May this year, residents briefly erected a wooden wall on the most popular spot to take selfies, blocking the view of the Alps, in protest against noise pollution and traffic. After a backlash on social media, it was removed.

Back then, the mayor of the town said he wanted to reduce the number of buses that pass through Hallstatt by a third.

Hallstatt received about a million visitors a year before the Covid-19 pandemic.

BBC/Christopher Ojilere