Mass tourism hits Hallstatt in Austria; locals protest

Hallstatt, a beautiful town in Austria, is struggling with mass tourism. Residents of the town have now come out of their houses to protest against it. Hallstatt, a World Heritage Site, is home to about 700 residents only but ironically, the place receives over 10,000 visitors per day during the peak season.

Now, the town residents want the government to put a cap on the number of daily tourists. Not only this, locals are also demanding a ban on tour buses after 5 PM local time. Though Hallstatt’s economy is mostly dependent on tourism, locals say there are just too many visitors all the time.
In May this year, the residents here built a wooden wall to block the views of the Alps to show their anger. It used to be one the most famous selfie spots from where tourists could take pictures with the Alps in the background. But the residents were not happy with all the noise pollution and traffic. Soon, there was backlash on social media, and the wall was removed immediately.

Hallstatt is renowned for its pretty old houses set on the shores of a gorgeous Alpine lake. These pretty houses are surrounded by mountains making them a perfect spot for tourists who wish to relax and rejuvenate.
The place has now become a tourism hotspot. The place was also shown in a superhit South Korean romantic series in 2006 and the popularity of Hallstatt got a boost in Asia after that. Soon after, China built a replica of the town, looking at its neverending popularity.

Hallstatt is one of those European towns that saw over a million visitors per year before the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, Hallstatt stands as one of Europe's most over-touristed destinations just like Venice and Rome. All these cities in Europe are struggling with over-tourism.

Kalvarienberg Church, Lake Hallstatt and the Ice Cave are some of the most prominent places to visit in Hallstatt.