World
Pompeii limits visitor numbers in bid to combat overtourism
A record four million people visited the remains of the ancient Roman city this past summer, prompting a decision to restrict tourist numbers to 20,000 per day and introduce personalised tickets.
The park is enforcing the changes in a bid to prevent overtourism and protect the world-famous remains of the Roman city which was buried under ash and rock following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD.
The park’s director Gabriel Zuchtriegel said visitors to the main archaeological site exceed an average of 15,000 to 20,000 every day, and the new daily cap will prevent the numbers from surging further.
”We are working on a series of projects to lift the human pressure on the site, which could pose risks both for visitors and the heritage (that is) so unique and fragile,” he said.
On Friday, the park introduced personalised tickets which include the full name of each visitor. A maximum of 20,000 tickets will be released each day, with different time slots allocated during the peak summer season.
Park management is also trying to lure more tourists to other ancient sites connected to Pompeii with a free shuttle bus as part of the ‘Greater Pompeii’ project.
The sites include Stabia, Torre Annunziata and Boscoreale.
”The measures to manage flows and safety and the personalisation of the visits are part of this strategy,” Zuchtriegel said.
”We are aiming for slow, sustainable, pleasant and non-mass tourism and above all widespread throughout the territory around the UNESCO site, which is full of cultural jewels to discover.”