Wednesday, February 5, 2025 Once upon a time, guidebooks and travel magazines dictated where people went. Now? TikTok and Instagram call the shots. One viral video, and suddenly, a quiet Italian ski resort, a postcard-perfect Swiss village, or a historic Spanish delicatessen is drowning in selfie-taking visitors.
From Austria’s Frozen-inspired town to Japan’s dangerously overcrowded streets , social media-fueled tourism is overwhelming once-peaceful destinations. But locals aren’t just standing by—they’re fighting back. In Italy , a ski town capped bus arrivals after being flooded with 10,000 tourists in a weekend.
In Austria , residents blocked off an iconic view to stop the selfie stampede. Japan deployed security guards, Switzerland is considering a tourist tax, and Spain ? One historic shop now charges visitors just for looking. As social media continues to dictate travel trends, the big question remains: how can destinations survive their viral fame? Imagine living in a charming ski town with just 1,500 residents.
Now imagine waking up to 10,000 tourists swarming your streets overnight—all because a TikTok video went viral. That’s exactly what happened in Roccaraso, Italy after influencer Rita De Crescenzo hyped up the resort to her 1.7 million followers .
Tourists booked package deals for as little as €20, including transport and a meal. Soon, the town was buried—not just in snow, but in traffic, overcrowded slopes, and mountains of litter. Local offic.
