Pompeii's New Strategy: Combating Over-Tourism with Personalized Tickets

The Pompeii archaeological park is set to restrict daily visitor numbers to 20,000 and implement personalized tickets from next week to mitigate over-tourism. This move aims to protect the fragile ancient Roman city, which saw a record summer with over 4 million visitors.

The Pompeii archaeological park has announced plans to limit daily visitors to 20,000 and introduce personalized tickets from next week. This initiative is in response to issues of over-tourism and aims to safeguard the renowned world heritage site, according to officials.

The decision follows a record-breaking summer where over 4 million tourists flocked to the iconic ruins of the ancient Roman city, which was entombed in ash and rock by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel mentioned that daily visitor numbers currently average between 15,000 and 20,000. By enforcing a cap, they hope to manage future surges effectively.

In addition to daily visitor limits, tickets will become personalized on November 15, allowing only 20,000 releases each day with various time slots to handle peak summer crowds. As part of the 'Greater Pompeii' project, management is also seeking to draw more tourists to nearby ancient sites via a complimentary shuttle bus, with a vision for sustainable and evenly distributed tourism throughout the regional cultural landscape.

(With inputs from agencies.)