After Venice, it is up to one of the most ancient sites in Italy to protect itself against overtourism. The archaeological site of Pompeii, a city buried in 79 after the eruption of Vesuvius, will now limit its number of daily visitors to 20,000 people, according to new provisions announced this Friday, November 8.
The decision was taken “after a record summer which saw unprecedented influxes of more than 4 million visitors, and peaks of more than 36,000 visitors for one of the first Sundays of the month with free entry”, say the teams in charge of safeguarding the ancient city. This represents an increase of 33.6% compared to summer 2023, with a daily average of 11,200 people, details the daily Il Sole 24 Ore.
This limit will take effect from November 15, specifies the official website of the venue, and will be accompanied by the introduction of nominative tickets. During the summer period, when the number of tourists present is greatly increased, visiting time slots will have to be reserved to manage the flow of visitors. In total, a maximum of 15,000 places will be available between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m., then 5,000 in the afternoon, from 12 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., from April 1 to October 31.
“We are working on a series of projects to alleviate the pressure on the site, which can represent a risk both for people, for example in the event of an earthquake, and for the heritage, which is so unique and fragile,” he said. explained the director of the archaeological park, Gabriel Zuchtriegel.
“We are aiming for slower, sustainable, pleasant, non-massive tourism, and above all spread across the entire territory of the Unesco site, rich in cultural gems to discover. Flow and security management measures as well as the implementation of nominative tickets are part of this strategy. (…) In this launch phase, we will carefully observe the situation and continue the dialogue with all stakeholders in order to adjust the measures if necessary,” he further clarified.
