Austria: tourists have invaded the small village – now threaten drastic consequences

Hallstatt – The church on the shore, the shimmering waters of the lake and the mountain panorama of Austria. Hallstatt offers not only a dreamlike motif for postcards. The village can also be seen on thousands of Asian social media profiles. Through the Instagram catalogs and travel Hallstatt has attracted a lot of attention from tourists. The inhabitants of the town near Salzburg are literally invaded by visitors from all over the world. These measures should now provide relief from mass tourism in Hallstatt.

Hallstatt / Austria: six times the number of buses compared to 2010

Only about 800 inhabitants have the village of Hallstatt. With just under a million tourists a year, the few locals get lost in the crowd. In 2012, "only" 4,395 buses arrived in Hallstatt. Since then, the number has increased steadily. Every year 20 to 30 percent more buses arrive. Thus counted 19,344 buses full of tourists in the Austrian village. In addition to the questionable number of visitors, the place on bfhallstatt.at also suggests solutions to the tourist problem.

Hallstatt / Austria: the slot system should help

Among other things, the cost of the bus must be increased to € 150 for incoming buses. In Venice, the daily rate costs 240 euros and in Florence 360 ​​euros. As a parking fee of 50 to 100 euros for a justified bus, they say. Even the mayor of Hallstatt Alexander Scheutz finds the development of mass tourism questionable, as Focus Online reports: "2014 was the year from which development really took off quickly." Since then, Scheutz has sought a solution with the community especially bus tourists could reduce.

In February, the Hallstatt municipal council unanimously decided to introduce a system of slots for buses. The idea comes from Salzburg, where buses can only drive in reserved slots. Even before the summer of 2020, the slot system should come into effect in Hallstatt. So travel companies have to book a fixed period online where their bus can enter Hallstatt. At least two and a half hours later, a bus group will have to remain under the new Hallstatt regulation. Because the money is not blocked in Hallstatt by tourists who are just crossing.

Hallstatt / Austria: "Pain threshold reached".

"The noise level of the buses, which park with the engine running, is unmistakable and the emissions are enormous. The shore of the lake is full of buses," he says on the side of the association "Citizens for Hallstatt". They wanted more quality tourism in the village of 800 inhabitants, because many tourists did not eat in local restaurants or did their shopping in the shops of Hallstatt. Instead, Hallstätter feels disturbed by noise, exhaust gases and drones. With the one million visitors in 2018, the pain threshold was reached. Yet c & # 39 is a new record year also for 2019.

Also in Austria, a cow attacked hikers on Thursday – with serious consequences.