Once-glamorous vacation spot overrun by influencers and crowds: 'Almost unbearable'

Long known as a playground for celebrities and the ultrarich, Saint-Tropez has found a new audience: influencers who showcase its designer shops and picturesque waterfront.

Luxury travel influencer JQ Louise, who has been visiting Saint-Tropez for 15 years, told Fox News Digital in an interview that the destination is "packed."

But that exposure comes with a downside, Louise said - particularly during the height of summer.

"If you go in June, July or August - and particularly July and August - Saint-Tropez is packed," she said, adding that visitors could find themselves "shoulder to shoulder" with crowds at the port, popular cafés and beach clubs.

Today, the town of just 4,000 permanent residents is stretched to its absolute breaking point, absorbing up to 80,000 daily visitors during the July and August rush, the Saint-Tropez Tourism Office noted.

The sheer volume of summer crowds has become so unsustainable that the mayor, Sylvie Siri, is now publicly pleading with travelers to visit during the off-season instead, according to the BBC.

In response, many were quick to voice their frustrations with the popular vacation spot.

"It's a scene, and overcrowded, definitely NOT my definition of vacation," one person wrote. "Expensive does not [equal] luxury for me."

"The crowd has become almost unbearable," another said.

"Saint-Tropez isn't for tourists. It's for residents," another person said, citing its limited appeal and accessibility for ordinary visitors.

"Going there just to say you are vacationing in Saint-Tropez is dumb considering how difficult it is to get there as a tourist, unless you have a car."

Others were quick to defend the popular vacation spot.

"The Riviera is unreasonably beautiful, and the high-end resorts know how to do hospitality well."

Louise said timing can make a big difference for travelers who want to avoid crowds.

She also said there are plenty of other places in the Riviera to visit "that are just as beautiful, if not more beautiful."

"I love to tell people to pick a place as a home base, then plan kind of a few day trips or plan a few side trips as part of your vacation," she said.

"Most of them are not crowded even in peak season. I would say go a little bit more on the road less traveled."