Visiting zones at the Athens Acropolis | Study: 21,000 visitors per day is ideal

A broad meeting with representatives of institutional bodies and tourism sector professionals for the implementation of visitor zones, at the archaeological site of the Athens Acropolis, was convened by the President of the Organization for the Management and Promotion of Cultural Resources (ODAP) Nicoletta Valakou, in the presence of the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni and the Secretary General of Culture Giorgos Didaskalos.
The purpose of the meeting was to exchange views between the executives of ODAP and the representatives of Tourism, regarding the time to commence implementing the new system, given that the study has been concluded and ODAP has completed the procedures for its immediate implementation. It should be noted that tourism agencies and professionals were informed by ODAP about the preparation of the study, while they participated in relevant research, as part of the study, by filling in questionnaires personally.

During the meeting, the contractor presented the study thoroughly with the definition of visit zones. An extensive discussion followed with the participation of all those involved in the tourism sector. The main question by the Ministry of Culture and ODAP regarded the exact start time of the pilot application of the system: August 1st or September 1st. From April 1, 2024, after the experience of the pilot application has been evaluated and utilized, the system of traffic zones will be fully operational.
According to the data presented in the study, the ever-increasing traffic to the Acropolis recorded a daily record of 23,000 visitors while 21,000 visitors per day is mentioned as an ideal number, in order to implement a policy of a protective nature towards the monument.
Four hourly traffic zones are created from 8.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. with a total of 8,000 visitors. It should be noted that approximately 50% of visitors today prefer the morning hours, 8.00-12.00.
Eight time zones are created from 12:00 to 20:00 with 13,000 visitors. In the proposed number of visitors, there are quotas in specific categories, such as group or individual visits, while there are no zones for the disabled, who can visit the monument according to their own planning.

Lina Mendoni: "Our main interest is the protection of the monument"
In her statement, the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni emphasized that "the main competence of the Ministry of Culture, according to the Constitution, is the protection of the monument. The Acropolis, like all cultural assets, constitutes a non-renewable resource, which we must protect, based on the principles of sustainable development. The point is that we must all adapt to the data set by the monument itself."
Regarding the issue of the increased traffic that is observed, even on days with extreme weather conditions, the Minister emphasized that "recently some have been talking about "queues", creating impressions. In foreign monuments, the visitor's waiting time is much longer than the average waiting time at the Acropolis, but no similar issue has ever been raised by any stakeholder."
Lina Mendoni set the "correct and effective cooperation of all parties as well as the adaptation to the data originating from the capabilities of the monument itself" as the main prerequisites, stressing that "if the Acropolis did not exist, there would be no queues, there would be no large tourist traffic". She emphasized, "the need to make the monuments more socially accessible, the decisive contribution of the cultural heritage to the competitiveness of the tourist product and to the national economy, pointing out that the integrated protection of the monument does not allow the daily limit of visitors to exceed 20,000".
Concluding her statement, the Minister requested that "the ODAP and the tourism agencies and professionals reach a binding agreement on the start time of the pilot application, taking into account that no problems should arise at the peak of the tourist season". July 21st was set as the deadline for the completion of the consultation.