Pompeii in Italy aims to combat mass tourism with daily visitor limit

Visitors tour the Archaeological Park of Pompeii in 2022 (File Pic/AFP)

The famous Pompeii archaeological park recently introduced a daily limit of 20,000 visitors, the latest Italian tourist hotspot to take action against overcrowding.

The "experimental" scheme will see visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage Site required to buy named tickets which, in the summer, will be divided into morning and afternoon slots.

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Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of Pompeii, told AFP the measure was designed to better manage crowd numbers, leading to a more "sustainable" growth. "The idea is not to close Pompeii but to expand Pompeii and better manage the flow," he said at the launch of the scheme at the historic site near Naples in southern Italy.

Last year more than four million people visited Pompeii, an ancient Roman city buried when Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago -- the vast majority during the summer months. Organisers expect this year's numbers to be even higher. Some 3.84 million people visited between January and October -- including a peak of more than 36,000 on one Sunday when entry was free.

Zuchtriegel said the numbers caused concerns about visitor and staff safety and about the protection of the unique site, where many of the buildings -- and even some bodies of the estimated 3,000 victims -- were perfectly preserved after the eruption. "We want to guarantee all visitors a high-quality experience. It must never be mass tourism," he said.

Between April 1 and October 31, a maximum of 15,000 visitors will be allowed in from 9:00am to 12:00pm, and 5,000 from 12:00pm to 5:30pm.

Tourism worldwide has surged since the Covid-19 pandemic but the numbers of people flocking to top sites has sparked warnings about potential damage to irreplaceable buildings or monuments, and protests by local communities under pressure.

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Italy is the fourth most popular tourist destination in the world, welcoming 57.2 million foreign tourists last year who spent $55.9 billion, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Earlier this year, locals in Barcelona staged a protest against overtourism, asking tourists to "go back". Similar protests were also seen in Spain's Canary Islands.

To combat overtourism, many popular destinations have imposed certain restrictions like charging an entry fee, limiting visitor numbers, etc.

The city of Venice earlier this year introduced a five-euro entry fee for day trippers during peak periods, in a bid to entice tourists to visit during quieter periods. Walking the newly renovated "Path of Love" on the Cinque Terre, where at high season human traffic jams form along the trails between the region's colourful coastal villages, also requires a ticket.

Earlier this year, Mount Fuji in Japan had also imposed an entre fee for all climbers to limit tourism.

(With inputs from AFP)