The Austrian village that inspired ‘Frozen’ wants quality over quantity
They arrive by the busload and on ferries, many in pursuit of the perfect photograph for Instagram, others seeking the transcendence of a fairy-tale land.
Each year, 1 million travelers visit Hallstatt, Austria, a picturesque 16th-century hamlet they say inspired the fictional kingdom of Arendelle in the Disney animated blockbuster “Frozen.”
Never mind that the 2013 film — and its 2019 sequel — was influenced by Norway’s wintry splendor more than 1,000 miles away. Or that Disney offers “Frozen”-inspired activities on its cruises in Norway. To be fair, Hallstatt looks remarkably like Arendelle, which is why visitors continue to arrive. But the 780 people who live there have had enough.
In May, Hallstatt is embarking on a campaign to focus on quality — not quantity — tourism, according to local officials. Tour buses, which tally as many as 90 on the busiest days, will be capped at 50 and must register with the tourism office. Groups that arrange lunches at local restaurants, sign up for boat cruises or visit Hallstatt’s famous salt mines will be given preference.
Visitors, too, will be asked to stay more than two hours, said Michelle Knoll, office manager for Hallstatt’s tourism board. The goal is to get people to spend time and money in Hallstatt’s restaurants and shops.
“Many visitors only have a short time and only come to take some pictures,” Knoll said in an email. She added, “The number of tourists is simply too much.”
Churches have had to hire bouncers to keep selfie-seeking tourists from interrupting funerals and Sunday services, according to news reports. Guests are warned not to use drones or trample village property. After a fire broke out in November, Hallstatt’s mayor, Alexander Scheutz, implored travelers to stay home so locals could fix the buildings.
He recently said he hoped to cut the number of tourists by one-third this year.
Elizabeth Becker, author of “Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism,” said that tourists should manage their enthusiasm after seeing exotic locales in movies and on television.
“Even nice people start to act like barbarians,” she said of overcrowded tourist spots. “Why do we expect to walk into anybody else’s life and have their romantic adventure?”
Hallstatt, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was popular before the release of “Frozen,” particularly among Asian tourists. The village was replicated in China’s Guangdong province in 2012, and the Chinese copy has become a favorite attraction there. But Hallstatt’s prominence grew with the movie and the ascendance of Instagram.
Scheutz has been in touch with his counterparts in nearby Salzburg. That city saw a surge in popularity after “The Sound of Music” debuted in 1965.
“Hallstatt doesn’t need so many tourists,” Knoll said, “but rather those who really enjoy the time.”