Bears in Trentino-Alto Adige: is there a travel warning? – Trip

The bear is loose, that applies to the forests, but even more to the minds of the people between Bavaria and Trentino. The wild animal is currently particularly big in the minds of the residents of a small Italian province that is geographically close to Trentino, but mentally closer to Bavaria. Not only Bavarians, but also Hessians and Swabians like to spend their holidays there, because the dumplings are usually good, the mountains are usually spectacular and the people are mostly friendly. Of course we are talking about South Tyrol.

Here you have a problem that is bigger than any bear that is currently making forays from Trentino into the neighboring province to the north: This is a rumour. This rumor, reported by the regional newspapers, goes like this: The German Foreign Office is currently examining whether a travel warning should be issued for South Tyrol, which forms a region together with Trentino, because of the deadly bear attack.

As far as can be reconstructed, the rumor was made public by a Bolzano lawyer who also serves as German honorary consul for the Trentino-South Tyrol region. According to newspaper reports, he told a local television station that he had received a request from Berlin and immediately sent information to the consulate general in Milan.

“Everything else has to be subordinated to that.”

Travel warning! The alarm bells in the tourist region of South Tyrol ring ten times louder than the festive bells at Bolzano Cathedral. Most recently, one suffered from a German travel warning when the corona numbers south of the Brenner Pass grew to new heights. The hotels and wellness areas remained empty. In order to prevent such a thing, the called and the uncalled are now loudly speaking up. The state councilor responsible for tourism asserts that he has contacted Berlin to prevent an “overreaction” and to inform the non-nature officials that they currently know of exactly three bears that are in the country, all of them inconspicuous fellows. In response to a request from the SZ, the Foreign Office said that they were not working on a travel warning for Trentino and South Tyrol. Nevertheless, the top tourism promoter struck a martial tone: “We must be able to guarantee that everyone can experience nature as a safe environment. Everything else must be subordinate to that.”

You could also look at it from the other side: South Tyrol, which with 34 million overnight stays a year has twice as much tourism as Trentino of the same size and suffers from traffic congestion, rising prices and selective overcrowding, would be hit with a bear travel warning in one fell swoop rid of all overtourism.

At the Pragser Wildsee, which is headed for by thousands of cars in midsummer, you would suddenly hear the birds chirping again, and on the Dolomite passes the only audible calls would be those of the local climbers: “Stand up!” or: “rope free”. And those death-defying German tourists who ventured into the country despite the bear warning would have the gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle, the hiking trails in the rose garden and the sauna benches in the wellness areas all to themselves. Last but not least, the hoteliers would be rid of their staff shortage problem.

However, such a win-win situation will probably not come about. Because, as is the case with rumours: They are often spread in order to pursue specific goals. Once they have been reached (e.g. bear is dead), the rumor dissolves into clear mountain air.