Packed hiking trails TikTok tourists overrun Fronalpstock ridge hike
Stoos is literally overrun this year, and there are traffic jams on the hiking trails. A TikTok video about the Fronalpstock ridge hike that went viral is partly to blame for the mega rush.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- There is a rush on Stoos: more people than ever before are visiting the Schwyz recreation area.
- Videos on social media have contributed to the hype.
- But tourism also brings advantages, says a restaurant owner: "We had a good summer."
- Wild campers or traffic jams on the Fronalpstock ridge hike are disadvantages that the masses of tourists bring with them.
A reader recently complained that the peace and quiet on Stoos, a car-free village and ski resort in the Swiss canton of Schwyz, is over. "In recent years there has been a real rush, people are coming from all over the world," said the Zurich resident, who owns a vacation home in the Schwyz recreation area, in an interview with blue News.
At the request of blue News, a spokeswoman for the municipality of Morschach explained that, together with Stoos-Muotatal Tourismus and Stoosbahnen AG, attempts are being made to manage the increased number of guests with the help of visitor management.
But as a video from the TikToker "Der Winterthurer" shows, the hiking trails are packed. Masses of excursionists and tourists are rushing into the Swiss mountains to experience the famous Fronalpstock ridge hike for themselves.
At the beginning of his clip, "Der Winterthurer" says: "Fronalpstock, we need to talk, social media has ruined you."
The sad truth is also confirmed by the reader. She believes that the many visitors are certainly great for the Stoss and would certainly bring in huge amounts of revenue, but that the place itself would lose a lot of its "authenticity" as a result.
Viral video attracts more guests
The hype was fueled by a viral TikTok video by David Michalski, which was played three and a half million times. The German content creator told "20 Minuten": "That wasn't my intention at all, when I saw the hundreds of thousands of likes, I was surprised. Of course, I was also lucky, the weather was perfect."
Sandro Widmer, Head of Marketing and Sales at Stoosbahnen AG, also believes that pictures and videos on social media have further increased the number of visitors to Stoos, at least in part. "Because some spots on Stoos are so beautiful that guests want to show them to their followers, such great pictures are posted on social media," Widmer told blue News.
Increasing tourism brings economic benefits
The strong wave of visitors not only fills the hiking trails, but the alpine inns are also well frequented. While some local residents are annoyed, tourism is appreciated by most people in the region, as the spokeswoman for the municipality of Morschach confirms.
She particularly emphasizes the economic benefits: "It creates jobs, supports local stores and restaurants and helps to expand the range of facilities, such as playgrounds and barbecue areas."
Bernadette Fassbind is one of the local residents who sees the increase in tourism as positive for her business on Stoos: "We had a good summer," she tells "20 Minuten". Together with her husband, she runs the Alpwirtschaft Laui.
Wild campers leave waste behind
But as with everything, there are two sides to the coin. Fassbind also sees disadvantages in the onslaught of tourists: "They pet our cows and cattle and take photos, which is dangerous."
To counteract this, Stoos-Muota Valley Tourism has put up signs to alert tourists to their misconduct. The region now also has to contend with wild campers. They simply leave their garbage lying around, the farmer explains to 20 Minuten.
Although Fassbind has not yet had any unpleasant encounters with visitors, she recalls an incident that happened to her neighbors: tourists have been known to simply walk into their house and go to the toilet.
