ALBAWABA - The Greek government announced this past Wednesday that visits to the Acropolis of Athens, Greece's most popular archaeological site will be limited starting next month.
Greece will limit visitors to a maximum of 20,000 people per day and will be subject to varying entry restrictions per hour.
Up to 23,000 people used to visit the Acropolis with More than 3 million people visiting the site last year, so it does not come as a surprise that something needed to be done.
Culture Minister, Lina Mendoni, said the controls were necessary to prevent suffocation and overcrowding at the UNESCO World Heritage site.
Pexels - Photo by Josiah Lewis
"This is a huge number," Mendoni said in an interview with Radio Real FM. "It is clear that tourism is desirable for the country and for all of us, but we must ensure that excessive tourism does not harm the monument."
The minister said that the new entry restrictions will be implemented on a trial basis from Sept. 4, and will be upheld permanently from April. 1. of the upcoming year, 2024.
On a happier note, there will be no limit to how long visits can last, even though Mendoni said people who come from organized tours or cruise ships account for about 50 percent of daily visitors, and spend an average of 45 minutes at the site.
Different numbers of visitors will be allowed in hourly during the site's opening hours from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. According to Mendoni, half of the Acropolis' traffic arrives between 8 a.m. and noon.
Under the new system, 3,000 people will be granted access from 8-9 a.m., 2,000 during the next hour, and the numbers will vary during the rest of the day.
Menodoni hopes this will keep people away from harm at the monument, while also improving the visitors' experience.
