Why heritage sites draw record crowds while the land around them keeps little of what visitors spend, and what that land should hold, with a view from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the wider region.
The report in six numbers
a foreign adult ticket to the Grand Egyptian Museum, about US$30, as a share of the US$975 the average international visitor spent in Egypt in 2024
growth in Angkor's foreign visitors in 2017, the year its one-day pass rose 85%; ticket revenue rose 72.5%
visits to Pompeii in 2024, more than the 3.86 million overnight stays recorded in the whole city of Naples
Petra's one-day fee for a foreign visitor not staying overnight in Jordan, against JD 50 for one who is
the buffer zone around Memphis and its Necropolis, the 16,359 ha World Heritage property from Giza to Dahshur
share of Diriyah's 14 km² masterplan taken by the At-Turaif World Heritage property
In brief
This report looks at 28 heritage sites and museums, from Giza and Petra to Pompeii and Angkor, and asks where a visitor's money goes. The ticket matters less than four other things: where the visitor arrives, how late the site stays open, whether the ticket rewards a night, and who plans the land in between.
A foreign adult ticket to the Grand Egyptian Museum costs about US$30, roughly 3% of what the average international visitor spent in Egypt in 2024. Angkor earned about 7% of Cambodia's receipts per arrival.
When Angkor raised its one-day pass 85% in 2017, foreign visitors still grew 11.8% and ticket revenue 72.5%. The Louvre lifted its full price 29% in 2024, lost 2% of visitors, then recovered.
Pompeii, the Acropolis and the Grand Egyptian Museum each admit up to 20,000 a day, and nine of the 13 benchmark sites that publish hours close by 19:00. Pompeii's 4.27 million visits in 2024 exceeded all overnight stays in Naples.
Buffer zones run from 100 times the property at Volubilis to none at Giza. Car parks, ticket halls and shuttles have moved off the monuments, and the commercial plots have moved with them.
Petra charges JD 90 to a visitor who does not sleep in Jordan and JD 50 to one who does. Machu Picchu sells 1,000 tickets a day only in its gateway district, and Diriyah's ticket can be spent in Bujairi's restaurants.
Egypt recorded 18.6 million visits to its sites and museums in 2025, yet spending per arrival was below 2019. Saudi Arabia has wrapped a 28.78 ha core in a 14 km² district at Diriyah and placed Hegra under a 22,561 km² planning authority.
What it means
Define and zone the land around each core before the next investment arrives, turn the foreign premium into a reward for staying, and publish visits and nights by site.
Treat the arrival point as the first plot, open the evening before the hotels and phase rooms on measured nights.
Underwrite nights per visit and stress-test single-site gateways for a 60% fall in a year.
Use slots and multi-day passes to send time into the district, open later and make the ticket spendable outside the gate.
Inside the full report
Heirstone datasets
heritage sites and museums in the Heirstone Heritage Site Benchmark, from Giza and Petra to Pompeii and Angkor
Built from public sources current at October 2026. Every figure is referenced in the report, and figures we derive by combining published numbers are labelled Heirstone analysis.
Very little. A Grand Egyptian Museum ticket is about 3% of what the average international visitor spent in Egypt in 2024; Angkor's tickets were about 7% of Cambodia's receipts per arrival. Most spending happens outside the gate.
Rarely. When Angkor raised its one-day pass by 85% in 2017, foreign visitors still grew 11.8% and ticket revenue rose 72.5%.
By planning the land between the arrival point and the hotels, keeping sites open into the evening, and pricing tickets to reward overnight stays, as Petra does with a lower fee for visitors who sleep in Jordan.
Tourism Development
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