Abstract
In Europe, there are many world heritage sites where commodification of the site is causing overtourism through increasing numbers of visitors, an outgrowth of the globalization of international tourism in the recent decade. This study examines commodification of world heritage sites through an analysis of overtourism in Hallstatt in the Austrian Alps. UNESCO designated the “Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape” as a World Heritage Site (cultural) in 1997. The town of Hallstatt plays a central role in tourism due to its famous history, such as the Hallstatt culture in prehistoric times with its salt mining, as well as its picturesque landscape with tiny wooden houses, lake, and surrounding mountains. While there was no increase in visitor numbers for over ten years after being registered in 1997, the number of one-day visitors began increasing rapidly in the small village around 2014. Visitors are predominantly Chinese, who come by coach operated by an eastern European bus firm as part of a circuit package tour sold in China, and visit various World Heritage Sites in Central Europe. In recent years, overtourism has developed, causing significant problems: noisy chatting, trespassing on private property, operating drones, etc. The Commune has tried to mitigate overtourism by installing signs that ask visitors to respect the quiet lives of the local people, and to understand that Hallstatt is no museum. A group of local people recently tried to solve overtourism by reducing the number of coaches in town through a dramatic increase in parking fees and the creation of a new parking system.
