Authorities at Pompeii in southern Italy are setting a daily limit of 20,000 visitors to help protect the ancient site, a change that takes effect on November 15. According to a recent statement from the Pompeii archaeological park, each visitor will now receive a personalized ticket displaying their name. During the high-traffic summer months, from April 1 to October 31, tickets will include designated time slots to manage crowd flow more effectively. This new approach follows a record-breaking summer season in which over 4 million people visited the site, with one day seeing 36,000 visitors.
Park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel stated that the initiative aims to reduce "anthropic pressure" on the fragile site, which faces risks both from natural disasters, such as earthquakes, and from the heavy foot traffic of tourists. Zuchtriegel emphasized a goal for a slower, more sustainable tourism model that avoids mass gatherings.
Pompeii has received an increasing number of visitors in recent years. Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images
To better distribute visitor impact, Pompeii has also launched the “Grande Pompei” project, which creates a "scattered archaeological park" by expanding the tourist circuit to include nearby ancient sites. This initiative provides tickets and shuttle services between Pompeii and the villas in Boscoreale, Oplontis, and Stabiae. By dispersing visitor numbers, officials hope to protect Pompeii’s delicate heritage while enhancing the visitor experience with a more sustainable approach.
