What's happened
Starting November 15, Pompeii will cap daily visitors at 20,000 and implement personalized tickets to manage overtourism. This decision follows a record summer where over 4 million tourists visited the ancient site, raising concerns about its preservation and visitor safety.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to The Guardian, the new measures are a response to the overwhelming number of visitors, with park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel stating, "We are working on a series of projects to lift the human pressure on the site." The Independent highlights that personalized tickets will include visitors' full names, aiming to manage entry more effectively. Both sources emphasize the need for sustainable tourism practices to protect the UNESCO World Heritage site.
How we got here
Pompeii, buried by Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, has seen a surge in tourism post-pandemic, with visitor numbers exceeding pre-COVID levels. In 2023, nearly 4 million people visited, prompting the need for measures to protect the site.
More on these topics
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Pompeii was an ancient city located in what is now the comune of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area, was buried under 4 to 6 m of volcanic ash and pumice in the erupt
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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation is a specialised agency of the United Nations aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, the sciences, and culture.