Pompeii is going to limit the number of people who can visit the world-famous Italian site to 20,000 a day amid concerns about overtourism.
The archaeological park plans to introduce the cap next week along with personalised tickets containing visitors’ full names, officials have said.
The change comes after the site had a record of more than 36,000 people in one day on a free-admission Sunday last month, according to the park.
It follows the likes of Barcelona and Venice who both have taken steps to deal with overtourism.
Last year, over four million people visited the remains of the ancient Roman city, up 33.6% year-on-year.
The world heritage site was a once-thriving city that was remarkably preserved under volcanic ash, rocks and dust when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD.
Archaeologists are still making discoveries there.
The park’s director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, said visitors now exceeded an average of 15,000-20,000 each day and the new cap aims to prevent this figure from surging further.
A spokesperson for the park said the 20,000 daily figure had only been surpassed during free-admission Sundays and on three or four normal paying days.
On the first Sunday of every month, entrance to Italian museums is free – otherwise, tickets start from €18 (£14.90).
“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,” Mr Zuchtriegel said.
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Visitor numbers have surged in recent years. This was Pompeii in 1979. File pic: AP
Starting from 15 November, tickets will include visitors’ names and be limited to 20,000 a day – with different time slots in place during the peak summer season.
The park’s management is also trying to attract tourists to other ancient sites connected to Pompeii.
This is being done by using a free shuttle bus under the Greater Pompeii project, including Stabia, Torre Annunziata and Boscoreale sites.
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Mr Zuchtriegel added: “The measures to manage flows and safety and the personalisation of the visits are part of this strategy.
“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.”
