Italy’s Pompeii to cap daily tourist numbers to 20,000 | Global News Avenue

The Roman archaeological site of Pompeii will limit the number of daily visitors to 20,000 after a sharp increase in visitors.

According to local media reports, the number of visitors with free admission on the first Sunday in October reached a record 36,000.

The park will limit the number of daily visitors starting Nov. 15, park management said Friday.

Pompeii was a Roman city that was buried by the eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD and is one of the best-preserved Roman ruins in the world.

nearly 4 million people The number of people visiting the main ruins of Pompeii increased by a third in 2023 compared to the previous year. Visitor numbers had been climbing before the pandemic and were set to exceed pre-pandemic levels by 2023.

In October 2024, the number of visitors exceeded 480,000.

In October 2024, the number of tourists exceeded 480,000, with an average of about 15,500 visitors per day. The busiest month of the year so far has been May, with about 517,000 visitors, or about 16,700 visitors per day.

The 20,000 cap will likely result in only a few instances of visitors being turned away. A spokesman for the park told Reuters that there were just over 20,000 visitors between free admission on the first Sunday of each month and three or four paid days.

Park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel said it was important to reduce the impact of human visitors to Pompeii for conservation and safety reasons.

The city was devastated by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and for more than 1,000 years large areas of it remained virtually intact under a layer of volcanic ash.

About one-third of sites have yet to be excavated. It continues to be of great interest to archaeologists, providing the most complete picture of Roman daily life anywhere in the world.

Earlier this year, Archaeologists unveil mural Greek mythological figures include Helen of Troy and Apollo. The artworks were found in a ballroom with striking black walls and a mosaic floor made of more than 1 million white tiles.

Tickets for Pompeii start at €18 (£14.90; $19.30).