DISGRUNTLED locals have blasted Instagram influencers for invading one of the UK’s most beautiful areas.
Residents are sick of visitors disrespecting Bannau Brycheiniog National Park’s Pen y Fan, dubbed Waterfall Country, in Wales.
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The breathtaking locations have become popular tourist hotspots – hailed for their “Instagrammable” vistas.
They were even voted in line with Maui in Hawaii as one of the best places to visit on the New York Times 2024 list.
Helen Roderick, the park sustainable development officer, told the BBC: “It’s about balance, we want people to come and visit the national park but to think about when they come.
“And can they travel by bus? And can they make sure they benefit the local economy by using our shops, pubs and local restaurants?”
She suggested touring the sites during quieter months such as September and October.
Or, arriving at off-peak times earlier in the morning, or on a weekday if visiting during the summer.
Mrs Roderick also urged tourists to travel by bus instead of car to reduce their environmental impact and traffic chaos in nearby towns.
Social media has pulled hoards of new visitors to the area, from TikToks to Instagram posts.
To cope with the influx of guests, multimillions of pounds have been poured into updating facilities.
Carys Rees, who runs the This Girl Walks website and Instagram account, is also a member of the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team.
She urged people who travel to the site to better prepare themselves and recalled quieter times on the hills which are now “unheard of”.
“I do love that people are getting out and seeing the beauty of Wales, but I sometimes miss having it to myself. But the good outweighs the bad,” Carys said.
The nature lover said while she can “understand people’s concerns”, social media has the power to introduce the experience to people who may never come otherwise.
Tourists Lucie Kolarikova,19, and Katerina Mrázková, 21, and their dog, Gwaii, from the Czech Republic arrived after viewing the beauty spot on their socials.
Katerina said: “We didn’t really research it, we improvised but it didn’t work out.
“The reason we are here is because of Instagram and to take pictures. We hoped for beautiful weather and beautiful photos but nothing today – maybe next time.”
Meanwhile, resident Helen Howarth, 44, owns a retail business in the area.
She welcomes the hike in footfall and called for more people to “celebrate” the natural beauty.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
“It’s about the biodiversity, it’s about our dark skies, it’s about the amazing people and skilled artisans we have,” she said.
Ms Howarth argued independent “hidden gems” will garner the attention they deserve as more people discover the location through social media.
Our picturesque town is being ruined by hundreds of Instagrammers
By Emer Scully
A PICTURESQUE town has been ruined by tourists constantly posing for Instagram pictures.
Locals are fed up of visitors to their quaint village of Tetbury in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, taking photos without spending any money.
Owner Alexandra O’Brien said she often opens her door to be greeted by the sight of Instagrammers posing up in front of her disco balls.
She said: “The best time for them to take a shot is mid afternoon when the sun hits the balls and the mirrors scatter light across the ancient market hall.”
A couple of hundred metres away, in the town’s Long Street, the object of other Instagrammers’ fascination is a full size rattan copy of a Vespa motor scooter – perched on the porch above the entrance to Josephine Ryan’s antique store.
Ms Ryan, 61, bought the item in the south of France several months ago and fixed it to the front of her magnificent 1740-built stone property.
She said: “It’s rather marvellous up there, isn’t it?
“Trouble is, it’s attracting so many people with their camera phones that I’m worried someone his going to get run over.
“They stand in the middle of the road with their cameras pointing at the vespa and don’t even seem to notice the cars trying to drive through.
“Some days, there will literally be 20 people at a time taking photos for their Instagram. It’s insane.”
But her main complaint is the Instagrammers have no interest in buying her antiques.
She said: “They are constantly taking photos, but very few of them come inside to browse and buy.
“It’s rather annoying, I must admit.
“The ones who do come in seem to think I’m running some kind of museum because they just want to look, not buy.
“The other day, I had a Japanese woman in with her four young children and they all had cameras in their hands and were taking photos of everything in the shop.
“But they had no intention of buying anything, so I politely informed the mother that they were in an antique shop, not a museum.
“Needless to say, they didn’t stay much longer after that.”
Another antique dealer, 54-year-old Arthur Smith, who works opposite, said he sometimes can’t get in or out of his shop because of the number of Instagrammers thronging outside his front door to snap the rattan Vespa.
He said: “They stand right outside my front door to get the best angle for their photos. It drives me nuts.
“They’re out there every day looking for the snap they need.”
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