We are destroying civilization one photograph at a time. Don’t take it from me. Take it from UNESCO—the United Nations’ branch in charge of defending humanity’s cultural heritage—which is is calling a three-alarm fire on the destructive rise of “selfie tourism.”
Selfie tourism is a trend where travelers visit iconic landmarks not to immerse themselves in history or local culture, but to snap photos for social media. It’s less about personal experience and more about curating an image for Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. And while traditional vacation photography—where family and friends posed in front of the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum for keepsakes—was annoying enough but understandable, this new phenomenon focuses entirely on “visiting destinations primarily to take and share photos of themselves, often with iconic landmarks in the background,” according to UNESCO. It’s a plague.
The Instagram effect
Social media has supercharged this shift. UNESCO warns that selfie tourism is having dire consequences on many of the world’s most famous landmarks. “The impact of selfie tourism varies depending on the destination,” a UNESCO spokesperson told The Mirror. “In many cases, it has led to overcrowding at specific landmarks, creating pressure on local infrastructure, and contributing to the degradation of the overall visitor experience.”
This has led to some of the world’s lesser-known locations to become hotspots. Once hidden gems, these destinations are now overrun by visitors looking to re-create a viral moment. In Hallstatt, Austria—a town believed to have inspired Disney’s Frozen—over a million tourists descend each year to capture selfies against the picturesque mountain backdrop.
The influx has been so overwhelming that the town recently put up a fence to prevent people from gathering at a popular photo spot. The town’s frustrated mayor, Alexander Scheutz, told the Austrian press that “the town’s residents just want to be left alone,” a sentiment that has been echoed by citizens of many other iconic towns like Barcelona, which has become a cesspool of tourists fighting to get a snap of the Sagrada Familia. The global resentment that many locals feel toward the crush of tourists that social media platforms have delivered to their doorsteps is only growing.
Real consequences
Selfie culture is not only a nuisance for locals, but it also poses serious risks to cultural heritage and public safety. In Venice, a gondola capsized when tourists from China refused to stop taking photos, disregarding warnings from the gondolier. And that is in Venice, a well-known city already under siege from overtourism. Despite measures to curb the crowds—such as banning large cruise ships and limiting day visitors—the city continues to buckle under the weight of tourists. Local officials have also had to contend with disrespectful behavior from visitors who see the city as little more than a backdrop for their photos. UNESCO has repeatedly pointed out that when tourists “go to great lengths for the ideal shot,” it often results in harmful actions like trespassing, vandalism, or dangerous stunts that end in accidents.
Even in rural areas, selfie tourism is wreaking havoc. In Abruzzo, Italy, truffle-hunting experiences have been disrupted by tourists more interested in photographing their finds than engaging in the hunt itself. As a result, local tour operators like Experience BellaVita have had to adjust by providing participants with tools to immerse in the experience rather than their phones. “The idea,” says Marino Cardelli, owner of Experience BellaVita, “is to discourage people from using their phones so they might have a more meaningful travel experience that goes beyond the superficiality of selfies.”
It’s not the only effort to try to curb this annoying onslaught. Cities and destinations around the world are fighting back with fines and tariffs. Portofino, Italy, introduced fines of $300 for tourists lingering too long in popular selfie spots. The idea is to prevent the “anarchic chaos,” as Mayor Matteo Viacava describes to The Times, as “dangerous situations” are caused by overcrowding in streets.
Other cities are adopting more subtle strategies to steer tourists away from overrun landmarks. In Amsterdam, officials have worked to shift the famous red-light district to the outskirts of the city, hoping to disperse the crowds. In Florence, efforts are underway to direct visitors to lesser-known neighborhoods, relieving pressure on the main tourist areas. New Zealand launched a campaign encouraging travelers to take “something new” away from their travels, rather than the same tired photos in front of tourist hotspots, according to the BBC.
But, as many of these places have a tourism-dependent economy, all this anti-tourism sentiment and curbing measures can have a backlash effect. Protecting cultural heritage and local life while still allowing visitors to fuel an economic engine is a difficult act to balance. A UNESCO spokesperson told The Mirror that “transforming selfie tourism into a more sustainable practice requires a shift in both mindset and behavior.”
The agency believes that influencers have a key role to play in shaping responsible tourism practices, but do they, really? Perhaps the key here is good old common sense, self-restraint, good manners, and respecting people and places. Or, in the words of Fran Lebowitz, the greatest raconteur and one of the biggest curmudgeons of all time: just “PRETEND IT’S A CITY!”