2023-08-03 13:18:39
Faced with overtourism, countries around the world are multiplying initiatives to preserve their historical and cultural heritage. Latest example, Greece.
Lina Mendoni, the Minister of Culture, announced on Wednesday August 2 on the local airwaves that visits to the Acropolis in Athens will be regulated, with in particular a cap on their number. From September 4, a quota will be tested to limit visits to 20,000 each day, while the site currently receives more than 23,000 daily visitors. If the tests prove conclusive, the system will then enter into force permanently from April 1, 2024.
With most tours taking place before noon, a reservation and timeslot system will also be in place, to reduce massive queues and bottlenecks.
Heritage preservation
Restrictive measures that the Acropolis does not discover. Last July, when Greece suffered from a major heat wave and temperatures regularly exceeding 40 ° C, the hours of visits to the monument had already been limited on several occasions.
If Greece is betting on tourism to revive an economy in crisis for almost fifteen years, and hopes to exceed the 31 million record visitors recorded in 2019, it is also taking care to protect its sites, including the Acropolis, an emblematic monument 2 500 years. “Obviously, tourism is necessary for our country, justify Lina Mendoni. But we must work to ensure that this does not lead to a degradation of our heritage. »
Moreover, if the Acropolis is the figurehead of Greek historical heritage, it will probably not be the only one affected by these quotas. The Minister of Culture has already announced that other archaeological sites will be affected by this system.
Many sites facing overtourism
Far from being an exception, the jewel of Greek culture joins a now very long list, that of sites protecting themselves from overtourism. In Croatia, the “Pearl of the Adriatic” Dubrovnik, a medieval city notably famous for having hosted the filming of the series Game of Thrones, has been rationing the arrival of tourists since 2019. In the Balearic archipelago, the island of Majorca has restricted arrival on its coasts to a maximum of three cruise ships since 2022, while its neighbor Minorca limits access to cars.
In Peru, the famous Machu Picchu limits the number of daily visitors to 4,044. And in Japan, many local officials are calling for measures to limit the influx of tourists to Mount Fuji.
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