Bolzen april 16th 2023
While tourist resorts in Europe are selling out and competing to welcome the most visitors, some italian cities, provinces or regions are going against the trend, as happened in Venice, which closed the centre with turnstiles, Alto Adige South Tyrol is also trying to follow this line, i.e. imposing a ceiling on the number of visitors in an attempt to prevent overtourism.
Last September, the Bolzen provincial government approved the new measure on bed caps, extending the restrictions also to bed & breakfasts and agritourism.
In 2022, more than 34.4 million overnight stays were recorded in Alto Adige South Tyrol, or 2.1 per cent more than in 2019, the last year before the Coronavirus crisis. While overnight stays in hotels were still slightly below the pre-crisis level, there was a significant increase in non-hotel accommodation, such as farm holidays, campsites and private accommodation.
“We have set upper limits as the sum of all overnight opportunities, the number of beds for each individual municipality, unless rights have already been acquired, can no longer be increased.” The limit is 34 million, i.e. the tourist presences achieved in Alto Adige South Tyrol in 2019. “In this way, tourists will be better off, they will have a quality offer and the residents will also be better off.” Arnold Schuler, responsible for tourism in the province, declared this, and continued: ‘The tourism sector is very important for us, for jobs and for the economy, but we had reached the limit, so we took these measures to ensure a better management of the flow of people and to guarantee accommodation for tourists,’ ‘the region had ‘reached the limit’ of what it could bear.
Trentino Alto Adige, is one of the best known gateways to the Dolomites: tourists flock here for the spectacular craggy peaks, dreamy glacial lakes and pretty Tyrolean towns.
“Visitors come here to hike and see beautiful places, not to find themselves in a traffic jam,” he said.
From 2021 onwards, access by car to Lake Braies (or Pragser Wildsee) in high season is by reservation only.
“To go to the lake you have to register, but this way access is guaranteed and there are not too many people,” Schuler explained. “But everyone who goes there can also see the lake.”
Access to the Alpe di Siusi was also previously restricted. The road leading to the plateau is closed to private vehicles between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.: those who want to travel must use public transport. Residents and those who have booked a hotel on the plateau are exempt.
“It is not only the locals who are happy, but also the tourists who have fewer problems with access, have a parking space and can find a place to eat.
The measure aims to protect the natural heritage of the area and at the same time, keep rents under control. There will therefore be no restrictions for visitors who are interested in spending a day in South Tyrol without staying overnight, unlike in Venice.