The Tour du Mont‑Blanc is seeing increased visitation, benefiting local businesses but creating nuisances. Litter, wild camping and a lack of infrastructure have renewed the debate over cross-border regulation measures.
Increasing numbers on the trinational route
According to the Amis de l’UTMB, cited by Le Nouvelliste, between 73,000 and 78,000 hikers completed the Tour du Mont‑Blanc in 2025. Surveys carried out in July 2026 indicate a further rise on this 170 km route that crosses France, Italy and Switzerland.
Local consequences
In Valais, summer commercial overnight stays in Champex and La Fouly more than doubled between 2016 and 2025, rising from 63,000 to 133,000.
Summer bookings are generally full by January or February.
Manager of the Gîte de la Léchère
Proposed measures and limits
- Strengthening facilities (toilets, waste management) and hiring a ranger in Orsières; however, fewer instances of wild camping were observed than expected.
- In France, the mayor of Saint‑Gervais, Jean‑Marc Peillex, proposes restricting access to hikers with a reservation in a refuge or in a designated bivouac area and creating a “green brigade”, but the legal framework remains to be defined.
- Joachim Rausis, president of Orsières, favors a coordinated response with France and Italy.
Discussions highlight the difficulty of applying unilateral measures on a cross-border route and the need for consultation among local and neighboring stakeholders.
Source: 20 minutes