Local Italian news outlets are blaming Naples based social influencer Rita Decrescenzo for the recent mass influx of tourists with no intention of skiing to the largest ski resort in central Italy.
Decrescenzo recently visited Roccaraso Ski Area where she posted several videos of herself rolling around on the slopes and participating in other non-skiing activities that have accumulated millions of view across various social media platforms:
There is no way of telling if Decrescenzo influenced the decision for Naples tour companies to organize cheap bus tours ($20 sandwich included) for local residents to head to the ski resort without skis but local news agencies seem to think so. Unconfirmed but there are reports of bus companies quoting Decrescenzo in their promotions of the trips.
In all, 220 tour buses carrying 10,000 tourists made the trip from Naples over weekend prompting chaos in the mountain town with 1,500 local residents. While resort towns generally encourage tourist dollars, it seems this bunch just made the 78-mile trip from Naples just to take pictures and videos for their personal social media and left a ton of trash in their wake before boarding their busses and returning to the coast.
In the aftermath of the weekend, surrounding municipalities are exploring the introduction of crowd control measures including capping the amount of tour busses allowed in the area.
