Pompeii to Limit Daily Visitors Amid Surge in Tourism

Management at Pompeii has announced a limit on daily visitors to preserve the site's integrity after seeing a steep increase in tourism, with almost four million visitors recorded in 2023 alone.

Starting November 15, the renowned archaeological site of Pompeii will implement a restriction on the number of daily visitors, capping attendance at 20,000. This decision comes in response to a surge in tourism, highlighted by a record-breaking turnout of 36,000 visitors during the first Sunday of October when entry fees were waived.

Pompeii, a once-thriving Roman city entombed by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, is recognized as one of the most well-preserved archaeological locations globally. In 2023, the site attracted close to four million tourists, marking a significant increase of one-third compared to the previous year. Notably, the pandemic had seen visitor numbers fluctuating, but recent figures have surged above pre-Covid levels.

For context, over 480,000 individuals visited Pompeii in October 2024 alone, translating to an average of about 15,500 visitors each day. Peak visitation was recorded in May 2023, with approximately 517,000 tourists during that month, averaging around 16,700 visitors daily. The management anticipates that the new cap will not dramatically affect visitors, as daily attendance only surpassed 20,000 on rare occasions, typically during complimentary entry days and a few other select dates.

The park's director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, emphasized the importance of managing visitor numbers for the site's conservation and safety. Despite most of Pompeii's immense site being preserved under volcanic ash for over a millennium, roughly one-third of it remains unexcavated, making it a focal point of archaeological interest. Significant discoveries continue to emerge, including newly unveiled frescoes depicting figures from Greek mythology in an opulent banqueting room.

Entry tickets to Pompeii are priced starting at €18 (approximately $19.30), making access to this archaeological treasure available to many while also highlighting the need for ongoing preservation efforts.