Overview
- Local mountain guides and the Club Alpino Italiano warned Sunday that record visitor flows are creating long lift queues, fully booked huts and rising mountain-rescue calls for poorly equipped hikers.
- Official ASTAT figures show 2025 totals of 38.2 million overnight stays and 9.1 million arrivals, with roughly 250,000 visitors from Asia making that region the fourth-largest source market.
- Some municipalities such as Villnöß have begun planning concrete measures that close access when village lots are full and raise parking fees to limit car traffic to popular photo spots.
- Stakeholders blame short, photo-driven visits amplified by social media for crowd concentration at Seceda, Drei Zinnen, Pragser Wildsee and Seiser Alm and are proposing dispersal, minimum-stay rules and visitor education.
- Officials and business groups face a trade-off between protecting trails, safety and resident life and preserving tourism income as long-term German guests report skipping South Tyrol because of cost and crowding.