Ticketing rules aim to protect Machu Picchu

The hugely popular Inca citadel Machu Picchu moved closer to being more sustainably managed this week with the announcement that access to the site is being restricted via a new ticketing system.

As of July 1, anybody journeying to Peru’s best-known attraction will need a ticket for either the morning (6am-midday) or the afternoon (midday-5.30pm). Anyone wanting to linger for longer than their allotted session will need to purchase a ticket for both time segments. These will still be priced at 152 Peruvian nuevo sol (£36), and will be available online (machupicchu.gob.pe), but splitting the day into two halves is part of an attempt to control the bunching of tourist groups and excessive crowding.

The news was met with quiet approval by tourism authorities. “Machu Picchu is one of Peru’s most important tourist sites, attracting thousands of visitors every year,” said Tony Mason, chief executive of the Latin American Tourism Association. “We anticipate that the new system introduced by [Peru’s] ministry of culture will regulate the flow of travellers and help to preserve the authenticity of this national treasure.”

The move should also be applauded by Unesco, which added Machu Picchu to its world heritage list in 1983, but has voiced reservations about the footfall through a complex never meant to host large gatherings. “The strongly increasing number of visitors… must be matched by adequate management regulating access, and efforts to fully understand and minimise impacts,” Unesco’s inscription for Machu Picchu advises.

The citadel receives more than 2,500 visitors a day, despite its relatively remote location in the Andean mountains, 50 miles northwest of the regional capital Cusco.