Peru devises new rules to tackle the mounting crowds on Machu Picchu

Peru devises new rules to tackle the mounting crowds on Machu Picchu



The Peruvian goverment has issued new rules to handle the crowds at Machu Picchu. One of the new regulations: Set times when you can visit. (GOH CHAI HIN/AFP/Getty Images)

By Andrea Sachs February 2 at 3:53 PM Email the author

Visiting Machu Picchu requires strong lungs, steady legs and mighty decision-making skills. Among the questions you must ask yourself: Trek or train? Day trip from Cusco or overnight in Aguas Calientes? Pisco sour or Inca Kola? And the latest this-one-or-that-one to ponder: morning or afternoon shift?

In an effort to protect Peru’s most popular attraction from overcrowding and degradation, the Ministry of Culture issued a raft of rules last year that aims to protect the Inca site by modifying visitation practices. The regulations touch on many pillars of sightseeing, such as when you can visit, where you can walk and whether you can bring an umbrella.

“Machu Picchu is a great attraction, but we are worried about its sustainability,” said Sandra Doig, incoming tourism deputy director of PROMPERÚ, the Commission for the Promotion of Exports and Tourism of Peru. “It is being affected by too many people at the citadel at the same time.”

Tourist numbers have been creeping up over the years. Between January and July of last year, nearly 610,000 people tread on Machu Picchu, including an estimated 242,000 travelers from the United States, a 3 percent rise from 2016.

More:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/peru-devises-new-rules-to-tackle-the-mounting-crowds-on-machu-picchu/2018/02/02/7ac380d6-061b-11e8-8777-2a059f168dd2_story.html?utm_term=.aabd491b62be