Seoul: Curfew for tourists in popular neighbourhood

Mass tourism is increasingly pushing popular holiday resorts to their limits. This has recently led to protests from locals in in Barcelona and Tenerife, to name but a few.

Other tourist hotspots have already gone one step further. They have taken or announced measures in the fight against overtourism. Two notable examples, the lagoon city of Venice, which has introduced a fee for day tourists, and Amsterdam, which has taken action against the flood of cruise ships and riverboats..

Some places in Asia are also struggling with the excesses of mass tourism. In response, the Japanese city of Kyoto, for example, has restricted access to the Geisha district for tourists. The authorities in the South Korean capital of Seoul are now taking the same approach –  in order to protect a historic neighbourhood in the city centre from the masses of tourists.

Bukchon Hanok Village is known for its picturesque and well-preserved traditional Korean houses, the hanoks, and is one of Seoul's most popular tourist hotspots. The neighbourhood attracts thousands of visitors every day - with unpleasant consequences for the local population. Complaints about noise, rubbish and a lack of privacy have recently increased significantly.

The district authorities have announced measures to reduce tensions and keep the crowds under control. From next October, access for tourists to Bukchon Hanok Village will be restricted, as reported by CNN. The area with the most hanoks, which also attracts the most visitors, will only be accessible to visitors between 10 am and 5 pm. Access is restricted at all other times.

In addition, three colour-coded zones - red, orange and yellow - will be designated to allow local authorities to control and monitor crowds in the most densely populated areas. Anyone who violates the new rules will be penalized with fines. In response to public complaints from the public, signs in four languages were installed in 2018 requesting visitors to keep noise to a minimum. not to be too loud.

In a final step, tourist bus stops will be cancelled and dismantled – in the hope that it will reduce traffic, thus making the district more pedestrian-friendly. Trial operations are due to begin next year.

Bukchon Hanok Village is visited by over six million tourists every year. Last year, the authorities received over 200 complaints about disorderly behaviour.