THE ‘most beautiful village’ in Europe wants to charge tourists to visit the social media worthy location. Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland boasts idyllic panoramic views, Heidi-style chalets, waterfalls and green pastures and has been a hit with day trippers looking for an Instagram worthy photo opportunity. The Swiss village is now considering a tourist tax to curb day trip visitors.
A resort manager in Lauterbrunnen, Tom Durrer said: “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 struggles to deal with the influx of visitors, with the village receiving approximately 6,000 visitors 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 tr.
