Spread the love

 

Instagram is driving residents of some cities half crazy, with hundreds of snap-happy tourists descending on certain streets, or landmarks, and cavorting or adopting bizarre poses in a bid to secure the perfect Instagram selfie.

In some cases, the attraction proves fatal, as in the case of Sydney’s Figure 8 rock pool.

The latest Instagram target is on the other side of the world. It’s Rue Crémieux, a picturesque street in the 12th arrondissement (district) of Paris, between Bastille and the Gare de Lyon.

Residents have had enough. An Instagram account called clubcremieux posts photos of posers prancing in the roadway and makes fun of the aerobic postures they strike in the cobblestoned street. The aim is to give the Instagrammers a taste of their own medicine, a resident told France24.com. You can view some of the pics (on Instagram of course!) here.

Residents claim the situation has got out of hand, with hen parties “that scream for an hour”, dance troupes and rap teams turning up night and day while tourists take invasive pictures of, and through, people’s windows. Twerkers gyrate to loud music, preventing local children doing their homework.

A spokesperson for the street’s neighbourhood association told French radio station FranceInfo. “It’s become hellish. During the week it’s okay, because they’re tourists and so aren’t too annoying. But at the weekend there’ll be 200 people outside our windows. We’ll be sitting down to eat, and there will be people next to us taking photos.”

Part of the problem for Rue Crémieux is that the street is a permanent attraction.

In Sydney’s jacaranda season, McDougall Street, Kirribilli becomes a temporary attraction. The purple-blue floral archway formed by giant jacaranda trees in bloom turns it into the most photographed street in the city, with hundreds of tourists arriving to capture the view.

Hashtags proliferate. As the trees bloom only for a week or two in November, residents put up with the chaos, though some drivers get irate and honk their horns at people wandering all over the street.

This photo on the Clubcrémieux site has been captioned: “Cassandra’s parents had long since abandoned the idea of explaining to her how a doorbell works.”

The prospect of Instagram shots lure thousands of visitors to the Figure 8 rock pool in Sydney’s Royal National Park. Formerly a secluded spot, the attraction is now frequented by many Asian tourists (8 is a lucky number in China and other parts of Asia).

Many turn up with no knowledge of surf conditions or bushwalking; people are frequently knocked over by large waves that crash over the rock shelf. Some are swept away and drown.

Trying for the perfect inflatable pink flamingo shot

Calls are growing for the popular Figure 8 tourist destination to be closed following multiple deaths at the site in recent years, including a 22-year-old international student from Nepal who was swept away while visiting the Figure 8 pool last month.

Figure of 8 pool, NSW

Melbourne’s graffitied Hosier Lane is another Instagram favourite – far safer than the Figure 8 pool.

Above: Superb Melbourne wall art. Photo by Peter Needham

 

Written by Peter Needham