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Italy's ancient Pompeii park cracks down on daily visitors to combat overtourism
By Sydney Borchers
Published November 11, 2024
Pompeii Archaeological Park has set a new limit on visitors in an effort to cope with overtourism at the historic site.
The park will only allow 20,000 visitors a day and is also introducing new personalized tickets for those touring the location, officials from the park shared on Friday, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Park officials reported a record number of visitors this summer, with more than four million people passing through.
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Pompeii, the ancient Roman city buried under ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., has become a hot tourist destination for history buffs wanting to see the remains.
Pompeii Archaeological Park will only permit 20,000 visitors per day after the historic site saw over four million tourists this summer. (AP Photo/Jim Bourdier)
"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," said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the park, according to the AP.
Zuchtriegel said the average number of visitors exceeds 15,000 to 20,000 every day and the new cap will help prevent a surge.
The new personalized tickets with visitors' full names will officially launch on Nov. 15, along with only 20,000 available tickets each day and different time slots during the heavy tourist season.
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In an effort to attract tourists to other ancient sites connected to Pompeii, the park's management will be offering a free shuttle bus to other historic locations such as Stabia, Torre Annunziata and Boscoreale sites, as part of the "Greater Pompeii" project, the AP reported.
Each visitor's ticket will also their full name printed on tickets before entering the Pompeii park in Italy. (AP Photo)
"The measures to manage flows and safety and the personalization of the visits are part of this strategy," Zuchtriegel said.
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"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 added.
This is not the first landmark in Italy to make arrangements to avoid overtourism after a bustling travel year.
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Fox News previously reported that the famous Trevi Fountain has drafted a series of plans revealing new timed reservations to limit the number of people able to gather around the iconic site.
If you want to come check out the historic city of Pompeii and see its ruins, you will now need to book your tickets ahead of time in an effort to make the cut-off. (AP Photo/Jim Bourdier)
"The situation at the Trevi Fountain is becoming technically very difficult to manage," adding that the measures are "a very concrete possibility," Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri told reporters during a press conference, according to Reuters.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Italy's Ministry of Tourism and Pompeii Archaeological Park for comment.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/travel/italys-ancient-pompeii-park-cracks-down-daily-visitors-combat-overtourism