Italy‘s Dolomites have been compared to Disneyland as the beauty spot became overloaded by swarms of selfie-snapping tourists and so-called influencers this week.
Images and videos shared on social media shared by furious locals showed crowds of holidaymakers clogging up a cable car station in the Seceda area of the Alpine mountain range, which has become increasingly popular thanks to social media.
One particular video shows a lengthy queue of visitors at the station over-spilling onto a nearby cafe, while some tourists are seen blocking a staircase as they wait in line.
Another clip showed how a hiking trail came to a standstill as it became overwhelmed by tourists trying to reach the cable car.
The video, which was shared on an Instagram page, was captioned: ‘Something incredible even just to be told.
‘Hours in line waiting for your turn to go up the Seceda to admire the meadows, ridges, the most beautiful mountains of the Alto Adige, being careful not to step on each other’s feet, not to clash, to take the selfie as ‘freely’ possible in the presence of other tourists.’
Such is the surge in visitors that the operator of the cable car that takes hikers up to the summit of the Seceda mountain has put in a request to triple the capacity of the chairlift, Italian news outlet Corriere della Sera reports.
But recent scenes of overcrowding at the UNESCO World Heritage Site has sparked anger among locals and environmentalists who say large crowds could put wildlife at risk.
Images and videos shared on social media shared by furious locals showed crowds of holidaymakers clogging up a cable car station in the Seceda area of the Dolomites
One particular video shows a lengthy queue of visitors at the station over-spilling onto a nearby cafe
Viral videos on social media platform TikTok have pointed out the realities of visiting the Dolomites region
This is not the first time that images of overcrowding at the tourist hotspot have caused controversy online.
Viral videos on social media platform TikTok have pointed out the realities of visiting the Dolomites region, depicting how visits to its beautiful landscapes are usually interrupted by large crowds of tourists and so-called influencers.
One video shared earlier this month taken by a hiker at the Cadini di Misurina viewpoint showed a shot of the stunning Italian peaks with the words ‘Expectation’ written over clip.
But the video then pans out to show a massive line of tourists stuck on a hiking trail as the words ‘Reality’ appear on the screen.
The account that shared the video to the social platform wrote in the caption: ‘Waited 1.5 hours for a rushed shot so we didn’t hold up the line’.
Another video taken at the same viewpoint showed a similar scene, with tourists seen waiting in line to take pictures of the backdrop.
A separate clip shows the extent of the popularity of the Dolomites as dozens of tourists stand on the bank of a lake, tripods and cameras in hand, as they scramble to take snaps of the breathtaking scenery.
The recent social media outcry over mass tourism in the Dolomites comes after a local farmer proposed an initiative to charge visitors a fee of five euros to enter the trails of the Puez Odle Nature Park.
A TikTok video showed a huge queue of tourists lining up at a viewpoint to take snaps of the breathtaking landscapes
A separate clip shows dozens of tourists standing on the bank of a lake, tripods and cameras in hand, as they scramble to take snaps of the breathtaking scenery
Recent scenes of overcrowding at the UNESCO World Heritage Site has sparked anger among locals and environmentalists
Recent condemnation of overtourism at the Italian mountain range comes after anti-tourist protesters targeted ski resorts over the winter
While the measure has not been introduced, several locals have backed the proposal as they see it as a way stop visitors from littering and disrupting the environment.
Commenting on the proposal, president of the Alto Adige Alpine Club Carlo Alberto Zanella said in a social media post: ‘One of the most photographed trails in the Dolomites, invaded by influencers, YouTubers, and Instagrammers.
‘A tacky tourism that has led to people lying down with towels on the grass that never grows back and ruining nature for a selfie sponsored by influencers who give random advice without knowing the true beauty of our mountains’, he added.
Recent condemnation of overtourism at the Italian mountain range comes after anti-tourist protesters targeted ski resorts over the winter, with Italian locals branded the words ‘too much’ in bright red letters atop a snowy mountain.
The red slogan, which was deliberately placed under a ski lift, appeared at Alpe Di Siusi ski resort in the Dolomites back in February.
The graffiti was a move made by angry locals who had been growing increasingly impatient over the masses of tourists hitting the slopes during the peak winter season.
Brigitte Foppa, councillor of the European Greens party, said tourism in the area was ‘a continuous growth’ that has been ‘underestimated for years’.
‘They told us that we were troublemakers…Now we are paying the price, the wound in society has opened’, she warned.
The impacts of mass-tourism have been largely documented in recent years
File photo: Santa Magdalena village, idyllic Dolomites landscape in South Tyrol, Italian Alps
But it was not the firms time residents protested against the growing number of visitors in the area.
Last summer, locals painted a preferential lane with the word ‘priority’ in the asphalt, after commuters had raised concerns that the masses of tourists had clogged up access to cable cars, causing them delays.
The impacts of mass-tourism have been largely documented in recent years.
Last summer, an anti-tourist movement ravaged through Europe, with angry locals protesting the economic and social disruptions caused by foreign visitors.
Spain saw a particularly large number of demonstrations across the mainland as well as its Canary and Balearic islands.
Actions included marches on the street with protesters chanting ‘tourists go home’, as well as demonstrations on beaches which saw locals boo and jeer at sun-soaked tourists.
Anti-tourist protests have continued into this summer.
