New Visitor Zones to Ease Tourist Traffic at the Acropolis

Archive photo of the Acropolis, Athens.

Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni confirmed this week that special visitor zones aimed at facilitating tourist traffic to the Acropolis in Athens will go into effect by the end of the month.

 Speaking to SKAI radio, Mendoni admitted that long queues and crowds were a common phenomenon during peak season at world famous tourist attractions such as the Acropolis and the Parthenon, adding that the number of visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage site in Athens had increased by 80 percent since pre-Covid 2019.

Mendoni said that the recently added footpaths at the site of the Acropolis have helped ease the traffic and combined with the new visitor zones will reduce the waiting time to enter the archaeological site.

Greece’s travel agents welcomed the announcement, noting that the Federation of Hellenic Associations of Tourist & Travel Agencies (fedHATTA) had discussed the issue during a recent working meeting with the Organization for the Management and Development of Cultural Resources (ODAP).

“We are expecting the completion of electronic ticketing system, the implementation of visitor zones and the establishment of separate entry points for organized groups of tourists,” said FedHATTA.