Pompeii Introduces New Limits on Daily Visitors to Protect the Ancient City From Over-tourism

This article was first published by Smithsonian Magazine.

In an effort to prevent overcrowding and protect the city’s ruins, the Pompeii Archaeological Park announced that it will allow no more than 20,000 tourists to enter the site each day. Beginning on November 15, visitors will need a personalized ticket with their full name on it that’s tied to a specific time slot.

For many years, Pompeii has captivated Italy-bound travelers hoping to get an up-close glimpse of ancient Roman life. But last summer, the site attracted a record-breaking four million tourists—up 33.6 percent from the previous year, according to Reuters’ Alvise Armellini. On one summer day, a whopping 36,000 visitors came to check out the ancient site.

Most travellers won’t need to worry too much about the new crowd restrictions. A spokesperson for the park tells Reutersthat the site hit 20,000 visitors primarily during free entry days, which take place on the first Sunday of each month. On regular days, visitor numbers reached 20,000 only three or four times.

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