Influencers have been blamed for creating huge queues in a pristine part of the Dolomites after sparking a craze for pictures in front of famous mountain peaks.
Streams of tourists have been flocking to see the Tre Cime di Lavaredo landmark with the region’s authorities admitting its services have reached full capacity.
The crowds appear to be following the latest craze among travel influencers who have been boasting about the glorious views, picturesque landscapes and untouched wildlife in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The impact of their posts was revealed last week in a shocking video that showed hundreds of tourists waiting to board coaches in the quaint alpine hamlet of Misurina, an hours hike on foot from Tre Cime, with the queue stretching around the windy roads.
The tourists are likely waiting to board one of the coaches that ferries the masses of visitors every half an hour to a larger nearby town, Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Once considered perhaps a more understated holiday destination, many disgruntled locals have blamed the travel influencers for the huge numbers now appearing in the mountain villages and taken to calling them ‘sheep’.
One exasperated user commented under the video of queues: ‘And to think that until social media existed, these places were unknown to the masses.’
One woman wrote ‘this is no longer tourism…’ to which another replied ‘they are the sheep of the influencers’.
Andrea Palonta said: ‘You have one of the most beautiful nations in the world and you have to flock to those three places because it’s cool, to make a reel on social media, because some guy went there.’
Fabrizio Sciandra said: ‘The entire Dolomites area is under attack, in my opinion. Money is fine, but there is a limit to everything, especially when it comes to the environment, biodiversity, and the overall ecological appearance.
‘However, there are some specific places that in recent years have been suffering more than others, and there I feel that some serious measures must be taken to protect everything.’
Giovanni Duso wrote ‘my poor Dolomites’, while Dara Drioli said ‘fortunately, I was there more than 20 years ago when there was no such delirium’.
Corriere della Sera reported that a combination of good weather following three days of rain, limited seating on the shuttle buses and lengthy procedures to buy tickets have all contributed to the extensive queues plaguing the foot of Tre Cime.
The councillor for the area, Nicola Bombassei, who oversees the environment and land use planning, reportedly said the queues were ‘unacceptable’, adding that the region is already seeing a record number of visitors.
This was in spite of ‘limiting access for the second year in a row’ and ‘strongly encouraging online bookings to avoid too much crowding on site’.
Efforts will be made to find ways to reduce crowds, she said.
A ski-lift has been suggested in recent years as a means to better manage overcrowding in these zones, however many argue this contravenes a quota system restricting vehicle access to the area.
The director of operations for Dolomiti Bus, Gabriele Mariani, was reported to have said that their shuttle service has been reinforced in the wake of the masses of crowds.
‘We are constantly monitoring visitor flow and adapting our service according to needs,’ he added.
Despite local services trying to accommodate the influx of visitors, there is no shortage of advice on social media on how to maximise your trip to Tre Cime.
‘Make sure you get there early because it gets BUSY,’ one travel content creator advised on TikTok, in regards to getting the €10 bus to Cortina.
‘Expect to queue up to 45 minutes in peak times,’ they added, ‘if you do decide to drive BOOK AHEAD as you need to reserve a space at the car park to even drive up the toll road to get to the start of the hike.’
But within one hour of setting off, ‘you can get to the perfect viewpoint’.
One influencer gave guidance on the route to best take pictures with, arguing that tourists should ‘hike the loop clockwise for the best and most impressive views’.
Another advised to ‘skip the crowds at Tre Cime for sunset’ by instead hiking to Passo Giau which has ‘insane’ views and is ’80 per cent less crowded’.
Another option boasted by another was to ‘arrive early at the three peaks of Lavaredo, we arrived there at 6.30am and as you can see there was nearly no one there’.
However, this suggestion was met with ridicule by one user who commented: ‘Go early to avoid the crowds [tick] make viral TikTok to send more crowds [tick].’
Meanwhile, one influencer complained online that the ‘Tre Cime parking now works like a countdown clock’.
‘Your €40 permit is valid for 12 hours only. If you enter at 6AM and don’t exit by 6PM, the gate will charge you for a second full-day booking.’
In another region of the Dolomites, another influencer posted about private viewpoints in Seceda tourists can pay for to get a better view.
‘On Seceda, private landowners have reportedly reactivated a €5 turnstile on the popular ridge line path. You literally have to pay to walk to the famous cliff-edge view.’
