Having just returned from working in Pompeii for most of July the dip in visitor numbers doesn't surprise me at all. When I leave the site to go the Circumvesuviana station, I walk through the forum. Sometimes at 5.00 is was virtually deserted - which is good as far as I'm concerned at the end of a long day, but most unusual. No doubt the credit crunch is having an effect, but I'd assume the news about the lack of facilities is starting to get around. The busy days quite often coincided with days when cruise ships were arriving in Naples and Sorrento so presumably the cruise ship tour parties are holding up. They tend only to come for relatively short tours.
I did notice towards the end of my stay that workmen were busy in the bar. Perhaps the start of the long awaited re-opening. Perhaps that will help numbers next year.
Having just returned from working in Pompeii for most of July the dip in visitor numbers doesn't surprise me at all. When I leave the site to go the Circumvesuviana station, I walk through the forum. Sometimes at 5.00 is was virtually deserted - which is good as far as I'm concerned at the end of a long day, but most unusual. No doubt the credit crunch is having an effect, but I'd assume the news about the lack of facilities is starting to get around. The busy days quite often coincided with days when cruise ships were arriving in Naples and Sorrento so presumably the cruise ship tour parties are holding up. They tend only to come for relatively short tours.
ReplyDeleteI did notice towards the end of my stay that workmen were busy in the bar. Perhaps the start of the long awaited re-opening. Perhaps that will help numbers next year.