by Xinhua writers Hang Rui and Larry Neild

LONDON, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- On a mellow autumn afternoon in the village of Bibury, England, visitors lined up for the same photo of the stone cottages, low walls, and a narrow stream. The view has become so picture-perfect that local officials worry the "Disneyfication" of Bibury could ultimately threaten the very authenticity they are trying to protect.

While local businesses benefit from thriving tourism, authorities are developing plans to manage scenic villages that are overwhelmed by tourists. They want to protect the cultural heritage of Bibury and others in the famed Cotswolds, as well as the quality of life for local people, without damaging the tourist economy.

According to the Cotswolds' authorities, the wider region receives around 19 million visits a year, bringing the local economy over 1.5 billion pounds (about 1.96 billion U.S. dollars) and supporting more than 28,000 full-time jobs.

The Cotswolds comprises some 800 square miles and crosses five English counties, encompassing more than a hundred market towns and villages, each with its own distinct identity.

"It does feel a little stuck in time," Councillor Paul Hodgkinson, cabinet member for Health, Culture and the Visitor Experience at Cotswold District Council, told Xinhua. He described a landscape of "rolling hills, rivers, gorgeously quaint villages and towns" built in sandy yellow Cotswolds stone, with Roman history layered underneath.

Unlike a national park with a single overarching authority, the Cotswolds is administratively complex. Spanning Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, and Worcestershire, planning decisions are made by various district and borough councils.

Overlaying this patchwork is the Cotswolds National Landscape, which is a statutory consultee in planning matters within its boundaries, issuing guidance on landscape character and sensitive development. The Cotswold District Local Plan and Cotswold Design Code set strict criteria to prevent overdevelopment.

In practice, Hodgkinson said, about 80 percent of the Cotswold District is under this National Landscape protection. "What you can do to a historic house is very limited," he said. New housing is often required to be built in local vernacular, in Cotswold stone and with sympathetic design. Individual residents can submit views on applications and on strategic documents to participate in local development.

However, the pressure comes less from new buildings and more from the sheer volume of visitors in spaces that already exist.

Villages like Bourton-on-the-Water and Bibury, described on social media and in travel magazines as "the prettiest village in England" or "straight out of Harry Potter," now face a relentless influx of visitors, Hodgkinson confirmed.

Bourton-on-the-Water has only around 1,000 residents, Hodgkinson said, yet receives hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. This summer, during what he called a "record-breaking" hot spell, residents reported "literally thousands of people walking along the streets in front of people's houses."

Social media has amplified the problem. Hodgkinson refers to the "Disneyfication" of the Cotswolds: the urge to capture the perfect Instagram shot, sometimes at the expense of basic manners. "We even had tourists going into people's gardens and taking photos," he said. "All we would ask is: come and visit us, but please respect that this is where we live."

Some residents simply stay indoors in peak season, venturing out only in the evenings when the crowds thin.

For visitors, however, the conflict is subtle. In Bourton-on-the-Water this summer, Hui Lin, a first-time visitor from London, described the scene as "a painting, but it's a painting everyone else is in too." She added, "I do feel a bit guilty when I see signs asking us not to block driveways."

Local authorities also launched an initiative of "Car-Free Cotswolds", encouraging visitors to arrive and move around without cars where possible. It highlights public transport routes and walking and cycling options.

"This is a really difficult one," Hodgkinson acknowledged. "A lot of the streets were never designed for cars." The focus is on parking controls, traffic flow, litter collection, and encouraging visitors to park legally on the edge of settlements and walk in.

Surging demand to experience the Cotswolds has also reshaped its housing market, creating one of the largest gaps between average salaries and house prices in England outside London.

"If it's your primary residence, then I'd welcome people," he said. "But if it's a second home, then I'm less keen ... We have a housing crisis here, and it makes that even worse."

The tension between a booming tourism destination and a community trying to preserve daily life runs through every conversation about the region's future.

"Come here, sample its delights," Hodgkinson said. "We welcome people, and we know the benefits tourism can bring. But put something back into the community: buy a coffee, have a meal and pay for a bit of parking. And please respect where you're coming to." Enditem