By AFP - Agence France Presse
Pompeii rejects “mass tourism” with a limit on daily visitors
Sonia LOGRE
The world-famous archaeological park of Pompeii introduced a daily limit of 20,000 visitors on Friday, the latest Italian tourist spot to take action against overcrowding.
The “experimental” scheme will require visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage Site to buy named tickets, which, in summer, will be divided into morning and afternoon periods.
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of Pompeii, told AFP that the measure was designed to better manage visitor numbers, leading to more “sustainable” growth.
“The idea is not to close Pompeii, but to expand Pompeii and manage the flow better,” 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 almost 2,000 years ago - the vast majority during the summer months.
The organizers expect this year's numbers to be even higher.
Around 3.84 million people visited the city between January and October, including a peak of more than 36,000 people on a Sunday when entry was free.
Zuchtriegel said the numbers caused concerns about the safety of visitors and staff and about protecting 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 should never be mass tourism,” he said.
Tourism around the world has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, but the number of people flocking to the main sites has prompted warnings about possible damage to irreplaceable buildings or monuments and protests from local communities under pressure.
Italy is the fourth most popular tourist destination in the world, welcoming 57.2 million foreign tourists last year, who spent US$55.9 billion, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
Many of these tourists go to the same places: the historic center of Rome, Florence, Venice, Pompeii, and Cinque Terre, in northwest Italy.
- No negative consequences
Earlier this year, the city of Venice introduced an entrance fee of five euros ($5.3) for day-trippers during peak periods in a bid to entice tourists to visit the sites during quieter times.
Meanwhile, walking the newly renovated “Way of Love” in Cinque Terre, where, in high season, human traffic jams form along the trails between the region's colorful coastal villages, also requires a ticket.
In Pompeii, Jan Kubec, a 37-year-old Czech tourist, said that setting visitor limits was a “good idea.”
“Over-tourism is a problem in the world in general... If there are too many people visiting, the place may not be inherited by other generations,” he told AFP.
Dominique Gilbert, a 54-year-old French tourist, said there were advantages and disadvantages.
“Restricting access for large crowds is interesting because it protects the site. But for people who have booked their plane tickets in advance and are in a group or with a tour operator, it can be complicated,” he said.
Limiting the number of tickets during the high season might seem bad for Pompeii's budget, but Zuchtriegel said they were working to ensure that “there are no negative consequences on revenues.”
The park hopes to attract visitors to other nearby sites, with the idea that if only an afternoon ticket is available for Pompeii, a tourist might decide to spend the morning elsewhere.
Zuchtriegel said that efforts are also being made to open up alleys and streets in Pompeii that are currently closed, which would provide more space for visitors and allow organizers to increase the daily limit of 20,000 people.
“This is not a measure against growth. We're focusing on sustainable growth that lasts over time,” he insisted.
Between April 1st and October 31st, a maximum of 15,000 visitors will be allowed in from 9 am to 12 pm and 5,000 from 12 pm to 5:30 pm.
bur-ar/gil
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