ROME – Authorities at Pompeii in southern Italy are introducing a daily limit of 20,000 visitors as part of efforts to protect the ancient site. The measure, which will come into force from November 15, will see the introduction of personalized tickets bearing the name of each visitor, according to a statement from the Pompeii archaeological park published Sunday. In the busier summer period, which runs from April 1 to October 31, visitors will also be given a designated time slot, adds the statement. The new process is being introduced after a record-breaking summer season during which more than 4 million people visited the site, near the city of Naples, with more than 36,000 visitors on the busiest day. “We are working on a series of projects to reduce the anthropic pressure on the site, which can be a risk both for people, for example in the event of an earthquake, and for the heritage, so unique and fragile,” said park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel. “We are aiming for a slow, sustainable, pleasant and non-mass tourism experience,” he added. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, the volcano spewed hot, lethal gases and ash into the air, killing most of Pompeii’s inhabitants. Ash and volcanic rock called pumice then covered the city and its residents, preserving scenes of the victims of Pompeii’s destruction like an eerie time capsule. The site has long been a popular tourist attraction, but the sheer weight of numbers has caused increasing problems at the site as visitor numbers rose from under 2.7 million in 2014 to more than 3.9 million by 2019. In response, authorities alighted on a potential solution: dispersing visitors around ancient sites that are further afield, with all-in-one tickets and shuttles laid on between the sites.
PHNOM PENH – The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) on Monday announced the launch of the “Bakong Tourists App with Mastercard” in order to make digital payments easier for tourists while visiting Cambodia. “Users can now transfer funds from their Mastercard accounts to their Bakong Tourists wallets, making payments easier while traveling,” NBC Governor Chea Serey said during the launch event. “This feature provides instant access to funds, enabling purchases, bookings, and expense management without carrying cash or using currency exchange kiosks,” she added. With this integration, tourists can now link their existing Mastercard to top up their Bakong Tourists wallet, eliminating the need to top up through Bakong business partners, Serey said. “In the next phase, the app will enable users to link with other existing international payment cards,” she said. “This initiative aims to reduce the reliance on cash, allowing tourists to make payments by scanning KHQR codes at approximately 3.3 million merchant locations across Cambodia.” Serey is confident that the launch of the “Bakong Tourists App with Mastercard” will drive innovation in the banking and financial sector, offering travelers the convenience and security of digital payments. The NBC, also known as the central bank, has launched the “Bakong Tourists App” to improve payment services and support tourism by enabling digital payments for international tourists since August 2024.
