The “most beautiful village” in Europe might soon be charging the tourists visiting the stunning location. Lauterbrunnen is a picturesque village in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland, renowned for its stunning natural beauty.
Nestled in a deep valley surrounded by towering cliffs and alpine peaks, it is often described as one of the most beautiful places in the Swiss Alps.
The Swiss village is now considering a tourist tax to curb day trip visitors.
A resort manager in Lauterbrunnen, Tom Durrer told The Sun: “During the peak summer season, it gets a bit crowded along the village road, as the road is not very wide and there’s only one pavement.”
With a population of 2,400, the small village of Lauterbrunnen faces challenges in managing the influx of visitors, as it receives around 6,000 tourists per day.
Speaking to Swiss public radio SRF last year, village priest Markus Tschanz said: “We feel like employees in an amusement park.”
Head of the Institute of Tourism at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Jürg Stettler said: “Lauterbrunnen definitely has an overtourism problem.
“But it’s not a result of their success but of their interesting ‘Instagrammable’ waterfall, Staubbach Falls.”
The proposed charge, which would be paid through a smartphone app, would be between 5 and 10 Swiss francs ($5.50 to $10.99) and apply to visitors passing through for the day by car.
Lauterbrunnen mayor Karl Näpflin said: “The exception would be guests who have booked an offer such as a hotel or an excursion or who arrive by public transport.”
CEO of Jungfrau Regional Tourism Marc Ungerer said: “The legal basis for such a tax does not yet exist.
“Therefore, it’s far too early to consider what such a tax might look like or how it could work”.
However, this is not the only holiday destination that is all set to impose a “tourist tax” on day trippers.
Tenerife is also planning to implement measures to regulate the number of visitors by charging tourists. Similarly, the city of Portimão on Portugal’s Algarve coast has introduced a €2 (£1.70) fee per night for up to a week during peak season from March to September.
Venice in Italy is perhaps the most well-known example, charging tourists €5 for day visits.
These proposed tourist taxes aim to control the flow of visitors in and out of the region, following a series of ‘anti-tourism’ protests that have affected popular holiday destinations.
Hotspots such as Tenerife, Majorca, Menorca, and Ibiza have seen a rise in protests against tourists.
