Following the pandemic, Peru placed limits on the number of travelers that could visit their most popular site, Machu Picchu. However, after the tickets were sold out until mid-August, the government made an announcement. The number of visitors who can head to the Inca city has now increased.

Peru takes action after Machu Picchu tickets sold out

Machu Picchu in Peru is well known for over-tourism and in the past, it received more than 4,000 visitors every day. In fact, when the site opened at 6 am, many hundreds of visitors would already be lined up, clamoring to enter. It is just that popular.

Like most places, Peru closed Machu Picchu to travelers in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  When the site was reopened, Peruvian authorities decided to cap the number of daily visitors at 2,244. However, that didn’t help as all those visitors still arrived early in the morning. They were then spending as much time there as they liked.

Eventually, authorities organized visitors into time blocks. This meant that anyone who had a ticket for 10 am could only be admitted to the site between 10 am and 11 am. On July 17, the Ministry of Culture increased the admission capacity from 3,044 to 4,044 people per day.

Number of visitors increased again

Now, as the world opens up for travel again, Peru is once again having problems organizing tourism for the iconic Inca site. Recently, the Ministry of Culture announced that tickets for Machu Picchu were in such demand that they were literally sold out until mid-August. This meant that travelers, pushing to visit the famous UNESCO site were left frustrated.

On Thursday, Peru’s government extended visitor numbers to 5,044 per day. In fact, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Robert Sánchez Palomino tweeted the news on Thursday that 1,000 more visitors would be allowed to enter daily.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

With the latest increase, this means that more visitors can head up to the UNESCO World Heritage Site. On UNESCO’s website, Machu Picchu is described as “probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height.” However, while Peru’s government is letting more visitors in, care must always be taken to avoid irreparable damage to the site.

According to CNN, when the first increase was announced, the ministry wrote on Facebook:

This decision took into consideration the conservation of the property to avoid irreparable damage that compromises its outstanding universal value, following the recommendations that UNESCO issues to the Peruvian State.

Due to this, the Peruvian government urges tourists to plan their visit to Machu Picchu well in advance. If you are planning to head to Peru, visit the official website to check the latest ticket status.

Fighting overtourism

Peru isn’t alone in trying to keep a delicate balance between the preservation of historic sites and tourism demand. Venice in Italy first banned large cruise ships from its historic lagoon. Ironically, one cruise line has already found a way around the ban. As reported here, the Norwegian Gem ferried its passengers into the heart of Venice by power boat and back again later in the day.

However, Venice recently followed this up with plans to charge an entry fee for daytrippers, starting in 2023. Under the new booking system, only those with reservations will be allowed in.