Before the Covid-19 pandemic, it was one of the tourist destinations most affected by overcrowding. In 2019, Machu Picchu in Peru attracted 1.5 million visitors, according to official data. Too much for the former capital of the Inca Empire, built on a mountainside in the 15th century by Emperor Pachacutec. In order to preserve places, local authorities have set an entry quota in 2019. Initially set at 5,940 visitors per day, it was lowered to 2,244 at the peak of the pandemic in 2020, before being raised to 3,044 and then 4,044. Today this is insufficient. in the context of strong recovery of tourism.
Therefore, Machu Picchu’s management unit decided to increase this limit to 5,044 on Friday, July 29, meaning another thousand entries per day. “This decision was taken solely to respond to visitor demand“, the press release of the organization states. A temporary measure as from August 19 the limit will increase again to 4044. On Wednesday, July 27, a thousand foreign tourists, including from France and Spain, demonstrated at the village of Machu Picchu, demanding more access rights. Some have even blocked the railway leading to the site, the main gate to the site.
Entrance ticket: about 40 euros
Listed by UNESCO since 1983 and part of the New Seven Wonders of the World since 2007, the citadel is located 110 km from Cuzco. In August 2019, the threat of being inscribed on the list of world heritage in danger prompted the Peruvian authorities to review the conditions of entry. In addition to the limit on the number of entries, the duration of visits is limited to four hours.
Visitors must book their entry ticket on the official website managed by the Ministry of Culture. The entrance fee for a foreign tourist is 38 euros, and the price for residents of Peru and neighboring countries (Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador) is halved. According to our investigations on August 1st, no tickets were found until August 19th. And the only ones available this month are valid for early afternoon entries. This leaves little time to visit the entire Inca city… Yet another reason to wait as long as possible to make your reservation if you plan to stay in Peru.
Source: Le Figaro
