Officials have decided to limit the number of visitors to Pompeii in an attempt to protect the heritage site from overtourism.
The ancient city hosted over 4 million visitors this summer, spurring officials to consider the impact of tourist numbers.
Pompeii will restrict visitor numbers to 20,000 a day in an effort to curb mass tourism and protect the world heritage site.
Furthermore, it will introduce personalised entry tickets for visitors entering the ruined ancient city.
OVERTOURISM AT POMPEII
Pompeii’s director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, said visitors to the site exceeded an average of 15,000 to 20,000 people during the summer.
Hence a cap on numbers was necessary.
Park officials have decided that a new daily visitor cap could prevent the numbers from rising.
“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,” Zuchtriegel said.
This summer, 4 million people visited the ruins of the ancient Roman city, which was buried after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79.
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PERSONALISED TOURIST EXPERIENCE
From 15 November, entry tickets to Pompeii will be personalised.
This means that visitor entry tickets will include the full names of visitors.
And, a maximum of 20,000 tickets with specific time slots (during the summer), will be released each day.
TACKLING OVERTOURISM
Pompeii officials intend to encourage tourists to visit other ancient sites connected to Pompeii.
This includes nearby sites such as Stabiae, Oplontis and Boscoreale.
“The measures to manage flows and safety and the personalisation of the visits are part of this strategy,” Zuchtriegel said.
The park will in fact provide free shuttle bus transfers to these locations.
“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.” He said.
