Pompeii archaeological park introduces daily visitors’ limit to combat over-tourism

ROME (AP) — The Pompeii archaeological park plans to limit visitor numbers to 20,000 a day and introduce personalized tickets from next week in a bid to cope with over-tourism and protect the world heritage site. The moves come after what authorities called a record summer that saw over 4 million people visiting the world-famous remains of the ancient Roman city, buried under ash and rock following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The park’s director Gabriel Zuchtriegel said visitors to the main archaeological site now exceeds an average of 15,000 to 20,000 every day, and the new daily cap will prevent the numbers from surging further. The park’s management also wants to attract more tourists to visit other ancient sites connected to Pompeii by a free shuttle bus.