by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:05 AM ET, Thu August 3, 2023
Government officials in Greece announced that only a certain
number of travelers would be able to visit the Acropolis of Athens each day,
starting next month.
According to The Associated Press, Greek Culture Minister
Lina Mendoni said only 20,000 people each day would be able to witness the
country’s most popular archaeological site, with the historic structure also
implementing hourly entry limits.
Mendoni said as many as 23,000 people visit the Acropolis
each day. As a result, Greece will implement a trial period for the cap on
tourists on September 4, with plans to permanently institute the rule on April
1, 2024.
“That’s a huge number,” Mendoni said. “Obviously tourism is
desirable for the country, for all of us. But we must work out how excessive
tourism won’t harm the monument.”
While there will be no limits on how long people can stay at
the archaeological site, Mendoni revealed that only 3,000 people will be allowed
access from 8-9 a.m. local time, 2,000 during the next hour and the numbers
will vary during the rest of the day.
“The measure will address the need to protect the monument,
which is the main thing for us, as well as (improving) visitors’ experience of
the site,” Mendoni continued.
Greek officials also revealed that similar traveler number
caps will be imposed for other popular archaeological sites, based on government
studies and feedback from tour and cruise operators serving the nation.
Last month, the country implemented several other crowd
control measures, including time-slot scheduling requirements, special
visitor zones to streamline traffic, fast-lane entry points for guided tourist
groups and an electronic ticketing system.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe
to the daily TravelPulse
newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
