Residents of a popular tourist town in WA's south-west are in fear of their home being loved to death. A group of concerned citizens in Denmark has taken the unusual step of calling for local and state authorities to stop promoting their peaceful hamlet as a holiday destination.
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00:00During school holidays, the town of Denmark is bustling.
00:05For businesses relying on tourism, it's sweet.
00:08Easter long weekend was very busy, a lot of happy smiling faces.
00:12That's why we're here, so it was very good.
00:14But in a town with a population of 3,000, the influx is a bit too rich for some.
00:19This town doesn't have unlimited resources.
00:22It's a small town and it is stretched beyond its limits at the moment.
00:27A group worried about the impact of increased tourism is making it clear they're not happy.
00:32They put up this sign over Easter.
00:35When I saw the sign and when I saw it hit social media and the responses,
00:39it was clear that people felt unwelcome to come here.
00:44I don't think that reflects the broad sentiment of the town.
00:47Honestly, it's primarily intended to place pressure on local government and state government
00:55to stop this undue, unsustainable promotion of tourism growth.
01:02Eight years ago, annual visitor numbers were around 140,000.
01:06The latest figures show that has grown to almost 170,000.
01:10We've long recognised that we share this town,
01:13both permanent residents and temporary residents, if you like.
01:16In fact, most residents, current residents of Denmark, were once tourists here.
01:22Local businessman Steve Birkbeck is planning to build an eco-retreat.
01:26He says economic pillars like farming and forestry are struggling
01:30and tourism is the key to maintaining prosperity.
01:33It's an amazing opportunity for us as a community to grow with the young millennial workforce
01:38that's coming out with their own young children
01:40because that's a new phenomena to town in the last 10 years.
01:43Our kids are staying.
01:44But he also shares some of the concerns about the town being overwhelmed.
01:49I don't think the people that are expressing concern are opposed to tourism.
01:52They want to be empowered and consulted.
01:54The protest sign erected at Easter has since been vandalised.
01:58All part of a community trying to find a balance between the town they love and the future they want.