Italy’s Pompeii has decided to limit tourist numbers to 20,000 per day from next week to combat overtourism and preserve the historic site buried in ashes in 79 AD.

The move comes after the heritage site recorded a whopping four million visitors over the summer. The entire civilization of Pompeii was destroyed by a devastating fire after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the archaeological park, said the number of visitors to the main site now exceeds 15,000-20,000 on average each day and the new daily limit will prevent numbers from increasing further.

“We are working on a number of projects to remove human pressure on the area that could pose a risk to both visitors and (i.e.) the unique and fragile heritage,” Zuchtriegel said.

Another step that officials hope will gatekeeper tourists is issuing personalized tickets that include the visitor’s full name. Only 20,000 such tickets will be released starting November 15.

Although the aim is not to keep history buffs away from the legendary place, the park’s managers

They are trying to encourage tourists to visit other ancient sites connected to Pompeii, such as Stabiae, Oplontis and Boscoreale, by providing free shuttle buses as part of the Greater Pompeii project.

“Measures to manage flows and security and personalization of visits are part of this strategy,” Zuchtriegel said. “We aim for slow, sustainable, enjoyable and non-mass tourism, and above all to expand into the region around the Unesco site, full of cultural gems to discover.”

In April, Venice became the world’s first major tourist city to charge people an entrance fee, as part of a trial aimed at deterring day trippers from returning next year. The €5 (£4.15) tax, imposed over 29 busy days and ending in July, was also an emergency intervention by local authorities to prevent the Unesco heritage site from being blacklisted.

With input from AP