Day trippers to ‘Europe’s most Instagrammable village’ to be charged
The ‘most beautiful village’ in Europe is planning a tourist tax in a bid to curb day trippers.
Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland boasts breathtaking panoramic views, waterfalls and mountains, which has seen a surge in holidaymakers looking for a photo in the Instagrammable hotspot.
But civic chiefs are now considering charging it’s 6,000 daily visitors, which threaten to overrun the tiny picturesque village, nestled in a deep valley in the Bernese Oberland region with a population of just 2,400.
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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.”
![View of sunshine through cloud above a valley](https://i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk/incoming/article33036087.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Sunlight-over-valley-Switzerland.jpg)
(Image: Getty Images/500px)
The village has always been a popular tourist spot since a local entrepreneur built Hotel Staubbach – at the edge of the village, with an incredible view of the Staubbach Falls – in the 19th Century.
Poet William Wordsworth and Lord Byron were among those inspired by the surrounding mountains and the 72 waterfalls of its valley.
But after a surge in day trippers-post Covid, which causes traffic jams on the only road into town and queues on the trails winding out of its centre towards the best views, locals have had enough.
![View of a mountain, with a lush green valley](https://i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk/incoming/article33036091.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Scenic-View-Of-Mountains-Against-Sky.jpg)
(Image: Getty Images/EyeEm)
The proposed charge, which would be paid through a smartphone app, would be between 5 and 10 Swiss francs (between £4 and £8) and apply to visitors passing through for the day by car.
Tom Durrer, a resort manager in Lauterbrunnen, 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.”
![Train against a backdrop of a field and a mountain and a clear blue sky](https://i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk/incoming/article33036089.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Train-On-Field-Against-Sky.jpg)
(Image: Getty Images/EyeEm)
Speaking to Swiss public radio SRF last year, village priest Markus Tschanz said: “We feel like employees in an amusement park.”
It comes after a series of ‘anti-tourism’ protests have affected popular holiday hotspots such as Tenerife, Mallorca and Ibiza.
Other major European destinations impose a “tourist tax” on day trippers, such as Venice in Italy, which charges tourists €5 for day visits.
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