'Italian locals are expressing frustration over the spending habits of certain tourists'
South Tyrol, a picturesque region in the Italian Alps, has become one of Europe's top travel destinations, attracting millions of tourists each year. However, this influx of visitors has led to concerns about overtourism and its impact on the region's natural environment and residents' quality of life.
Current strategies and proposed solutions aim to regulate visitor access, mitigate environmental damage, and protect residents’ quality of life.
One key approach is the implementation of tourist fees on popular hiking trails. Landowners in the Dolomites have imposed voluntary fees at entry points like the Odle Trail and Seceda mountain to reduce overcrowding and offset environmental and agricultural damage caused by tourists. While the toll is not mandatory, it raises awareness about the strain tourism places on the area and highlights the need for regulation.
Alternative routes and visitor information are also being used to manage crowds. Staff are stationed at toll points to inform tourists about the fees and direct them to longer, free alternative trails to reduce crowding and preserve farmland and natural habitats.
Local organizations, including the South Tyrolean chapter of Club Alpino Italia, urge the provincial government to introduce official tourism management policies. They propose compensating farmers impacted by summer visitors, similar to winter ski slope compensations, and implementing visitor education programs about environmental respect.
Political groups like Team K propose caps on visitors at hotspots to limit tourist numbers, prioritize local residents’ access, and impose construction freezes on new cable cars and ski lifts to prevent increased capacity and further environmental degradation.
However, the proposal to expand cable car capacity at the Furnes-Seceda cable car has faced criticism from environmentalists concerned about wildlife disturbance and ecosystem imbalance.
The question of whether a region so heavily burdened by tourism can still be a home for its residents has been raised by the South Tyrol Home Care Association. The chairwoman of the association, Claudia Plaikner, demanded prioritizing the quality of life of residents.
In Venice, Italy, a trial with a fee for day-trippers was implemented but ended in 2024. Setrak Tokatzian, president of the Piazza San Marco association, complained that many day-trippers barely spend money and wander aimlessly. Tokatzian suggested increasing the daily fee to 100 euros to deter tourism.
South Tyrol is the most tourism-intensive region of the Central Alps and ranked fourth in the whole EU. Overnight stays in South Tyrol's 116 communities have risen from around 1.8 million in 1950 to around 37 million in 2024.
In 2022, South Tyrol introduced a bed limit as part of the regional tourism development concept 2030+, setting rules for future guest accommodations. Some social media users have suggested charging tourists more, with one suggesting 20 euros, to potentially deter tourism.
Brut America recently produced a South Tyrol video showing tourists being charged an entry fee of around five euros for "Instagram-worthy areas." The Home Care Association in South Tyrol considers the bed limit a failure, stating that it has led to a sharp increase in accommodation capacity.
These measures reflect a growing tension between maintaining tourism revenue and preserving the natural and social environment. The overall concern is that unchecked visitor influx harms the quality of life for residents by disrupting farmland, putting pressure on infrastructure, and degrading the pristine mountain environment locals depend on.
Tourist fees on popular hiking trails and alternative routes are strategies implemented to manage the influx of visitors in South Tyrol, aiming to reduce overcrowding and offset environmental damage. Local organizations propose official tourism management policies that include compensating farmers impacted by summer visitors and implementing visitor education programs about environmental respect.
Political groups suggest imposing caps on visitors at hotspots, prioritizing local residents’ access, and preventing increased capacity to mitigate further environmental degradation. The question of whether a region so heavily burdened by tourism can still be a home for its residents remains a pressing concern.
