WaPo article on Amalfi Coast

Thanks for posting. Trying to dissuade people from going to crowded destinations is at least futile, and the popularity seems to provide a kind of validation for many that they're on the right track.

The AC is a one-and-done for me!

I also read the article this morning. Very sad for the residents. I had a wonderful visit pre-Covid in February to avoid the crowds and it was wonderful for 5 nights based in Salerno with a rental car. I did have good luck with the weather.

I see so many posters here who want to visit the AC in season - I may bookmark this thread for the future.

As we speak I am looking at the very sort of nonsense that has contributed this problem. The blog article is titled the "Amalfi Coast Instagram Guide" and the two young ladies responsible for it are flaunting their wardrobes (heavy on swimsuits) and mugging for the camera in every shot. Is the same thing with their other 'articles'. I wonder if these sorts of young people will get over themselves someday and realize how sadly shallow and self-absorbed they appeared?

That was harsh, I know, but I'm seeing more and more of this sort of thing - we witnessed a lot of that behavior on the street in Manhattan last year - and I don't understand why they're not embarrassed to be making such spectacles of themselves? In the case of the two mentioned above, it's for the money as they create custom girls group trips but likely spawning more of the same Instagram-able nonsense from clients cluttering up the scenery with their own vanity shots. :O(

To add: their "Great Smoky Mountains National Park Guide" is a scream. Can't say I've ever seen a NP hiker barefoot and in a long party gown. I'm sure the rangers were rolling their eyes.

Hah, Kath--the 'new' ugly Americans! If it ain't Instagram-able, it didn't happen...

First two trips to the A.C., in 2015 & 2017--both in early March--were delightful because it was pretty much deserted. Based in Salerno once and Sorrento the other, and we had our run of the place. Not much was open in Amalfi or Positano, but that didn't matter. The views & vistas without a selfie stick in my face were breathtaking.

Now...we are returning with my cousins, this time mid-April next year. And I'm expecting the Amalfi Coast to be anything but deserted. Staying in Salerno, and we have a driver that will take us on a daytrip to Vietri Sul Mare, Ravello & Minori. No Amalfi-town or Positano except if my cousins want to take the ferry, if it's operational then. Sometimes you have to go where the people aren't...

If you look at the graph in the àrticle which shows tourism from 2014, tourism numbers are similar from then until now. Coincidentally, I was there in 2014 and again in 2023, and the problems are the same. TikTok has only been around since 2016, and while Instagram came out in 2010, it didn't explode until around 2017 so to just blame influencers is misguided. It's the mismanagement of a problem that's been there for decades. I first heard about the Amalfi Coast in the early 1990's from an article in National Geographic Traveler and put it on my list for future travels. That article also wrote about over-tourism and traffic issues.

I do appreciate the article for suggesting that perhaps influencer should be more responsible, and it tells both sides of the story, which is what real journalism is for. Credit to the Washington Post which states it is doing a series of articles on the "influencer effect."

The Washington Post sent reporters to some of
travel influencers’ favorite destinations to better understand their
impact on local communities struggling with overtourism.

No credit to the consumers of social media who don't take their research any further than that.

This is a little off-topic, but related to influencers-
We were on the Jungfraujoch summer 2021, and watched an influencer set up her tripod. She had on sandals, and was slipping and sliding on the snow. She also wore a light jacket. We had on down jackets, snow boots, gloves, hat and scarf, and were not overdressed for the temperature that day. So I'm assuming she posted her pix with her sandals in the snow.
We also saw folks when we came up on the train, in sundresses and sandals. Perhaps they followed another influencer? We then saw these same folks buying overpriced down jackets in the gift shop.
Whatever!

I think this comment by a local o pretty much says it:

Before covid, it was calmer and the quality of people was better. They were more respectful,” Grammatico said. “They are demanding and impatient now.”

Also younger and rowdier, according to a later statement.

We have seen the closure of a beloved mountain inn at Oeschinensee due to disrespectful and demanding tourist. The owner described it as a “toxic environment” and he could not keep employees. The restaurant remains open, with a dumbed-down menu of “fast food” options. They used to serve gourmet-quality meals with meat and produce from their own farm but that is no longer appreciated. Such a shame.