It is a beautiful lakeside village in the Austrian Alps said to be the inspiration for the kingdom of Arendelle in the film Frozen II.
Yet the local residents of Hallstatt have become so tired of tourists that it is set to impose a ticketing system to limit the number of visitors.
Hallstatt, famous for its idyllic Salzkammergut Mountains backdrop, is to introduce caps on tourists following complaints that the village had become overrun.
The move comes after more than 100 locals blocked an access road last weekend in a desperate attempt to stop the number of tourists visiting.
Mayor Alexander Scheutz told The Times: ‘We have really tried a lot in terms of visitor management. But we have reached a point where we’re at the end of our possibilities.’
It is a beautiful lakeside village in the Austrian Alps said to be the inspiration for the kingdom of Arendelle in the film Frozen II. Yet the local residents of Hallstatt have become so tired of tourists that it is set to impose a ticketing system to limit the number of visitors
The scenery of Frozen – which starred Disney characters and sisters Anna and Elsa – was inspired by the Austrian village of Hallstatt
He added: ‘As a village, we can only handle half of the tourists who come now.’
The village was awarded Unesco World Heritage status in 1997, but it was the Frozen franchise that boosted its appeal.
Some 10,000 tourists flock to the area in high season – with the village seeing one million visitors annually.
And local group Citizens for Hallstatt said that the number of cars in the area had tripled in the past decade.
While it is not definitely clear how numbers will be managed, one proposal is to sell time-limited tickets, which would cap the numbers that could be in the area at any one time.
Austria’s tourism minister, Susanne Kraus-Winkler, has backed a tourist cap.
It is not the first time the area has grown fed up with tourists – particularly those who want selfies to post on Instagram, where more than 33,000 posts are dedicated to its beauty.
In recent months, a fence was erected in its most famous vista point.
Locals protest against ‘overtourism’ and block the road tunnel in the world-renowned sightseeing town of Hallstatt near Gmunden in Upper Austria a few weeks ago
The locals who reside in their town say they’ve had enough of tourists posing up in their quiet streets – and the Mayor decided to literally block the view to stop them.
One resident, Andrea Zimmermann, told the ORF TV network in the country that her home just above the beauty spot was besieged by constant noise – to the point where her health was suffering.
Mayor Alexander Scheutz ordered a ‘privacy screen’ to be put up blotting out the horizon…but soon whipped it down again after a social media protest.
He told Upper Austrian News afterwards: ‘It was just a tryout. We discussed it in the municipal council. But the plan has now been discarded, there will be no such privacy screen in Hallstatt.’
The picturesque town of Halstatt, in Austria’s north, is thought to have inspired Arendelle, the fictional mountain backdrop in Disney’s 2013 film Frozen
The reality for residents: one particular beauty spot offering a clear view of the town is awash with camera-wielding tourists, say locals
Smile like Anna! The town’s church is visible in the background as tourists pose for a shot
He’s not the first to start a war with tourists. In April, a tiny fishing village in Italy launched new anti-tourist measures with €275 fines for loitering in selfie hotspots in an attempt to put an end to ‘anarchic chaos’.
The mayor of Portofino introduced a no-loitering rule in two ‘red zones’ where visitors often take photographs and tourism groups crowd together, The Times reported.
The no-waiting zones were put into effect amid the Easter break tourism boom that saw around 1.7million holidaymakers visiting Italian city centres, a 12 per cent increase from last year.
Portofino’s newly instated no-waiting zone bans are active daily from morning time until 6pm. The bans will remain in effect through October 15.
Mayor Matteo Viacava insists the ban is not aimed at making the city ‘more exclusive’ but instead to ‘allow everyone to enjoy our beauty’ and ‘avoid dangerous situations caused by overcrowding’.
He said the crowds of loitering tourists prevent access for emergency services which could be very dangerous.
The tiny fishing village, which has a population of 369, is known for its seafood, luxurious boutiques and pastel-coloured homes.
The village has reportedly been popular with celebrities. Both Steven Spielberg and Rhianna have been photographed holidaying in the yacht town.
Destinations across Europe have measures in place to discourage tourists, including Portofino, Italy which recently launched two ‘red zones’ where police can issue €275 fines to anyone who is loitering in selfie hotspots
WHERE TOURISTS HAVE BEEN TOLD TO STAY AWAY
Portofino, Italy
The mayor of Portofino has introduced a no-loitering rule in two ‘red zones’ where visitors often take photographs and tourism groups crowd together.
The no-waiting zone bans are active daily from morning time until 6pm. The bans will remain in effect through October 15.
Those caught violating the ban face a €275 fine.
Lanzarote, Canary islands
Lanzarote President Dolores Corujo has claimed the island was being saturated by British tourists.
She said the island instead wants to accommodate more ‘higher-quality’ travellers from mainland Europe.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Dutch tourist chiefs launched a new campaign warning British men to ‘stay away’ as part of a major new operation to clean up the city’s red light district.
Officials warned that those who come to Amsterdam for a ‘messy night and getting trashed’ will be hit with a €140 fine and a criminal record
Siurana, Catalonia
Mayor Salvador Salvadó declared ‘overcrowding’ a problem in Siurana last year and declined to have the village featured in a tourism magazine.
Siurana limits its car park to 200 vehicles, which Mr Salvadó estimates allows for about 400 visitors to the area.
He said he wants ‘the town not to become crowded and for the people who arrive in Siurana to leave happy.’
Venice, Italy
Venice, the capital of northern Italy’s Veneto region, this year announced a €3 to €10 entrance fee for all day visitors ages six and older.
Alhambra, Granada
Alhambra in Granada is also now requiring entrance fees – ranging from £3, £7 or £9 – and requires reservations for visitors.
Mallorca, Spain
Mallorca has moved to limit hotel beds to 430,000 in attempt to have ‘tourism of greater value and less volume’.
Calanque de Sugiton, France
The Parc National des Calanques in Calanque de Sugiton, France now requires an online booking for entrance.
Snowdonia National Park, Wales
Spaces at the Pen-y-Pass car park, the closest to Snowdonia National Park, must now be pre-booked.
Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
Tourism managers at the Giant’s Causeway, on the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland, have also cut the number of visitors welcomed at the park.
But Mr Viacava claims there will not be favouritism towards stars when issuing loitering fines.
‘Portofino isn’t anyone’s property, it belongs to everyone,’ he said. ‘Everyone must respect it.’
Several European cities have taken measures to discourage tourism and the negative behaviours associated with it.
Tourist chiefs in Amsterdam warned British men to ‘stay away’ as part of a major new operation to clean up the city and rid it of rowdy and hedonistic behaviour.
The campaign features a staged video showing a young man being arrested after he was found stumbling along the city’s streets.
The video features large red and white writing saying: ‘Coming to Amsterdam for a messy night and getting trashed = €140 fine and a criminal record.’
It then shows the police officers taking the tourist to a prison cell and making him kneel down in front of a bed in a bizarre scene.
The footage is overlaid with red writing which reads: ‘So coming to Amsterdam for a messy night? Stay away.’
Despite the campaign deliberately targeting young men from the UK, Dutch sex workers have come out in support of male British tourists.
Hundreds held a protest against the campaign in support of Brits – saying that they are not associated with bad behaviour any more than any other nationality – and attacking the campaign as an attempt to gentrify the heart of the Dutch capital.
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