Austrian town, that inspired Disney's Frozen, erects fence to stop tourists from taking selfies

Hallstatt, Austria

The picturesque backdrop of Austrian town, Hallstatt, filled with mountains is believed to have inspired Arendelle, the kingdom of Disney’s Frozen. So, every year, millions of tourists flock to town hoping to click some selfies with the world-famous view.

The tourists have been thronging the town in such huge numbers that the authorities recently decided to erect a fence to stop the visitors from clicking pictures.

However, the action faced backlash over the social media and the fence has now been removed. The authorities had hoped that the fence would prevent tourists from gathering at one spot which is popular for taking selfies and disturbing the resident by making too much noise.

Hallstatt’s Mayor Alexander Scheutz has stated that he wishes to place a banner at the tourist spot which will remind tourists about the fact that people live in the area.

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Why do tourists throng Hallstatt in such huge numbers?

Hallstatt is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city is filled with traditional houses against the dramatic backdrop of mountains and clear waters of Hallstatter See.

Before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of tourists visited the town every year. Hallstatt was a popular destination, especially among tourists from East and South East Asia.

The town was also featured on a Korean TV show in 2006 and its replica was built in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China in 2011. It is said that this Austrian was also the inspiration for the fictional kingdom of Arendelle which was in the famous Disney movie Frozen.

With the end of the pandemic era, the number of tourists has once again picked up and the town is planning to curb overtourism. Already daily limits have been introduced on the number of buses and cars that can get entry into the town by the authorities in Hallstatt.

However, the town regularly reaches its capacity and Mayor Scheutz has asked the Austrian press that residents just need to be left alone.

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Selfie-bans – a popular trend across Europe

Hallstatt is not the only travel destination in Europe which intends to stop tourists from taking selfies. Portofino - a picturesque town on the Italian Riviera - has imposed no-waiting zones for the same.

People caught hanging around on the quay for a long time between 10:30 am and 6 pm can be fined around €270. This policy is aimed at preventing large groups of tourists from gathering on the pier to take selfies in front of the colourful buildings of Portofino.

The town, which has only 400 residents, sometimes is swamped by around 10,000 tourists, which results in traffic jams and overcrowded streets.