Around 120 million tourists visit the Alps every year making the impact of tourism on Alpine nature considerable. New waves of ‘mass tourism’ threaten to destroy pristine wildlife areas – the very thing that attracts tourists in the first place.
A top industry in the Alps, tourism is also a major driver of urbanisation. Large tourist resorts have an area consumption rate that is far greater than that of a non-tourist community. In addition, touristic areas also experience an increase in motor traffic. This is especially problematic for remote and sensitive Alpine regions which would otherwise be safe from urban sprawl.