On Thursday, September 28, Peruvian authorities announced that it had suspended tourist visits to parts of Machu Picchu due to the erosion of certain stone structures.
With about 3 800 visitors per day, the ancient Incan World Heritage Site is reported by the thenationalnews.com to be Peru’s top tourist destination. However, due to mass tourism, the site has suffered substantial damage, resulting in the suspension of visits to the Temple of the Condor, the Temple of the Sun and a sacred carved stone structure, Intihuatana.
“The damage is irreversible. We have to protect our heritage,” said Maritza Rosa Candia, a Delegate for the Ministry of Culture – Cusco.
Machu Picchu was given Unesco World Heritage Site status in 1983. Over the last couple of years, Peruvian authorities have tried to find ways to manage the increasing visitor numbers to the site, which often sees long queues and overcrowding. Unesco recently emphasised the challenges the site faced, saying it needed more stringent management.
“The strongly increasing number of visitors to the historic sanctuary of Machu Picchu must be matched by an adequate management regulating access, diversifying the offer, and efforts to fully understand and minimise impacts. A larger appropriate and increasing share of the significant tourism revenues could be reinvested in planning and management,” said Unesco.
“Tourism itself represents a double-edged sword by providing economic benefits but also by resulting in major cultural and ecological impacts.”
