TikTok Tourists Overrun Italian Ski Resort

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated Jan 30, 2025 1:55 PM ET

On Sunday, a crowd of more than 10,000 tourists overwhelmed the Italian ski resort of Roccaraso after being drawn by tour bus tickets and TikTok influencer Rita De Crescenzo, CNN and The Guardian reports.

Crescenzo shared a live video and images from Roccaraso, inspiring tour bus operators to offer cheap trips — which cost between €20 and €30 — from Naples and the Campania region to the mountains. Some of the tour companies quoted Crescenzo in their deals.

Pandemonium ensued. Over 200 tour buses descended on Roccaraso, overwhelming the ski resort and town with visitors. The road leading to Roccaraso became clogged, and the tourists were accused of leaving the area strewn with trash and lighting barbecues, angering local residents.

“The situation became unmanageable,” Francisco Di Donato, the mayor of Roccaraso, told the news agency Adnkronos.

Normally, during the weekend, the resort sees 20,000 skiers and 15,000 visitors who come to see the snow, sled, and trek. The influx of extra tour buses pushed Roccaraso to the limit.

Di Donato suggested that the army may be called in this coming weekend to address the issue. For now, though, he’ll only allow 100 tour buses into Roccaraso on Saturdays and Sundays, and tour operators will have to book online.

“Roccaraso is not able to withstand the kind of assault we had on Sunday — for example, we cannot put 1,000 portable toilets in a ski resort,” Di Donato told Corriere della Sera, a local news outlet.

Influencer Crescenzo denied wrongdoing, telling Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, “All I said was that Roccaraso is a beautiful place.”

“People are free to move as they want and I cannot be responsible for the behaviour of others. I published content that reached a huge audience, which makes me proud,” she added.

Crescenzo also promised to return to Roccaraso this coming weekend and that, thanks to her videos, even more visitors will join her.

Several people who attended the ski resort on Sunday accused locals of discrimination on social media, saying the negativity stemmed from an unfair characterization of Neapolitans. In Italy, residents of Naples are often stereotyped as being provincial.

Di Donato disagreed that the backlash had to do with discrimination.

“Racism towards Neapolitans? Not really,” he told Corriere della Sera. “Roccaraso welcomes and wants to welcome more tourists, but we want civilized skiers. With €30, you cannot even ski, as a ski pass costs €60.”

Also known as Alto Sangro, Roccaraso is located in central Italy. It is one of the country’s largest ski resorts.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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