(3 Aug 2020) LEAD IN: Italy is hoping the international thirst for Rome's cultural history will pull the country out of financial problems caused by COVID-19. The Colosseum and Roman Forum - among UNESCO's best known World Heritage Sites - are global magnets for tourists who normally flock to the ruins year round. STORY-LINE: Tens of thousands of people would normally haunt this famous Roman ruin. The outline of the Colosseum is perhaps the most well known archaeological facade in the world. It is the cornerstone of Rome's Archaeological Park which is part of Italy's national museum system and officials are hoping it will help bolster the economy battered by the pandemic. It's Director Alfonsina Russo says 2019 was very different, with visitors each day earning the park 58 million Euros. There was a good start to the year, then when lockdown began on March 9th the gates were closed and there was no income for three months. "Before (the pandemic) the Colosseum Archaeological Park had about 20,000 to 25,000 visitors a day. In total for 2019 we closed with a total of 7.5 million visitors. 2020 started out very well we had an increase in January and February of almost 2 percent, 1.5 percent more visitors in those months with respect to the year before. It is clear that the lockdown, COVID, caught us by surprise, as it caught the whole world by surprise. So there was a loss obviously, but this year we are compensating with a project that we had already started in 2019. Also the government has allocated a fund for all the places of culture in Italy of 100 million Euro that will be given to different locations related to culture in proportion to their earnings from the year before." According to Russo park officials are offering new itineraries and ticket options to encourage Italians including Romans to return. She says: "This emergency, the COVID emergency, this critical situation for us has been an opportunity, an opportunity to work for different types of visitors, visitors who are different from the typical visitor who used to come on a daily basis to the Colosseum Archeological Park. It has given us a new strength, a new enthusiasm to start again with determination and offer the public new itineraries." A few tourists wearing masks make their way past the Via Sacra and through the Arch of Titus. The site is keenly feeling the loss of visitors from the United States and Asia. "In the first two months (of 2020) our income was normal, and even more from the previous year and we hope, and the trend is going that way, so we hope for a return that is gradual and constant. It is clear that our public, being an international public, has been affected by the global situation, for example the United States and China, because recently we had, in addition to visitors from the United States who have always been numerous, a lot of oriental visitors," says Russo. But she remains optimistic that the Colosseum still has the power to lure international tourists back. "Last year we closed with 57, 58 million Euros. It is clear that this year, as it will be with all the cultural locations, given the period that we remained closed, obviously we will bring in a lot less. But the Colosseum is the site that provides support and will continue to support the whole national museum system." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/40b28c90224f4f4ba8fd810beb923b34