Another small but very popular tourist town in Europe rebelled against the influx of tourists. Local residents came out to protest because they were very tired of the visitors. We are talking about the Austrian Hallstatt, which was famous for solitude and silence until a South Korean drama was filmed there.
Hallstatt, a small town in the Alps, located on the shores of the lake of the same name, has a little less than 1,000 permanent residents, but every summer it turns into a place of pilgrimage for tens of thousands of tourists. The town, surrounded by mountains, is known for its beautiful lake views and old houses. But at the height of the tourist season, the population increases many times. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Hallstatt was visited by up to a million tourists a year. It's not just Koreans. Hallstatt is also popular with the Chinese. 11 years ago in China they even built an exact copy of the town, with all its houses and monuments. But this was not enough to reduce the flow of people wishing to visit the real city.
Although Hallstatt's economy thrives on tourism revenue, locals feel uncomfortable, claiming that their lives have worsened with the rise of tourism. Residents of the alpine town, who want to limit the daily tourist flow, argue that on some dates in Hallstatt there is not even a place for locals to walk.
Why such interest?
This explosion of traveler interest in the Austrian region began after filming a hit Korean TV series there in 2006. We are talking about the “Spring Waltz”, which has become incredibly popular both in South Korea and abroad. After the drama's wave of fame, Korean tourists began to arrive in Hallstatt to see the region's scenery for real.
Recently, locals have installed temporary walls at places where tourists often take selfies, but have met with backlash. Local authorities are now considering imposing visitation restrictions to keep Austrians quiet and calm.
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