A POPULAR tourist attraction in Europe could soon make it harder for holidaymakers to visit.
In a bid to tackle overcrowding and queues, the Greek ministry plans to introduce a time slot entry system for the Acropolis in Athens.
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As reported by local Greek paper Hurriyet Daily News, 14,000 people visited the famous archaeological site in May.
This was a 70 per cent increase from the previous year and in line with visitor levels normally seen during the peak tourist months in July and August.
In a bid to tackle queues and overcrowding at the site, the Greek Ministry wants to introduce timed entry slots.
As it stands, entry tickets to the Acropolis can be either booked in advance online or at one of the kiosks on the day.
Tickets booked in advance online are also fast pass tickets, which means holidaymakers should be able to skip the queues.
But even with the added measure, holidaymakers have already found themselves queuing in the heat.
One holidaymaker wrote: “You queue in the punishing sun and as you near the gate and ticket kiosk, the queue splits; those who purchased a ‘queue jump’ get in. Meanwhile, those who purchase a kiosk ticket then get sent to the back to begin queuing all over again.”
Other tourists who reviewed the attraction on TripAdvisor said they queued for hours to visit the famous site.
The World Heritage Watch, a non-governmental organisation that supports UNESCO, has said the Acropolis lacks visitor management plans.
Stephan Doempke, chair of the World Heritage Watch, said: “A site of global importance as the Acropolis is not in good condition, and is at risk, if it lacks a management plan and an understanding of how to deal with tourists.”
The announcement has been met with backlash by some guards who work at the Acropolis.
Ioannis Mavrikopoulos, who is a veteran guard, has said it will be a mistake to introduce the measures mid-season.
He believes the new ticketing policies should be implemented once the tourist season ends.
Meanwhile, other parts of Europe are calling for fewer holidaymakers in a bid to tackle tourism levels.
Earlier this year, Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands, announced that it wanted fewer holidaymakers from the UK.
As part of a new tourism strategy, the island plans to declare itself a “tourist-saturated area,” and will look to welcome fewer tourists who have greater spending power.
Lanzarote isn’t the only tourist hotspot in Spain that plans to reduce its reliance on Brits.
The Balearic Islands, which include Majorca, Menorca, and Ibiza, have become the latest holiday destination in Spain to ask for fewer Brits.
The local government says 16,475,579 holidaymakers arrived in 2022 and this will be the “absolute ceiling” for future years.
Meanwhile, Brit holiday hotspot Amsterdam is introducing its “stay away” campaign, urging tourists to consider going elsewhere if they’re only planning to “let loose”.
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