Americas

Machu Picchu Sees Tourists Return After Years of Strife for Peru

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By Scott Huang/Herel Hughes/Reece Ayers

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Tourist numbers in Peru are returning to pre-pandemic levels after the country was rocked both by COVID-19 and by years of civil unrest. The drop in visitors caused dramatic economic harm but also gave the tourism industry a chance to reconsider how it operates major visitor attractions like Machu Picchu.

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Machu Picchu Tourism Rebounds, Offering Hope to Local Communities 

The ancient terraces of Machu Picchu are bustling once more, with visitor numbers finally returning to pre-pandemic levels. This resurgence is a lifeline for the nearby town of Aguas Calientes, where residents like Yubitza Ccorimanya, a souvenir market vendor, endured years of economic hardship. 

Over the past five years, the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest, and strikes targeting Peru’s infrastructure caused an 80% drop in visitors. For Aguas Calientes, this transformed the town into what Ccorimanya describes as a “ghost town,” with shops closed and basic necessities such as food and medicine becoming scarce. 

In the larger city of Cusco, a critical stopover for visitors en route to Machu Picchu, just under half of the city’s 500,000 residents directly rely on tourism for their livelihoods. While the return of international and domestic tourists is a lifeline for the city’s economy, the continued disruption of transport links during strikes has been particularly damaging, as Juvenal Curo Pazo, a walking tour guide, explains: “They close the airports, the streets, and roads that connect Cusco with other regions, so tourism comes to a standstill here.” 

A Silver Lining Amid the Peruvian Tourism Crisis 

While the pandemic-era reduction in tourism was an economic disaster, it actually offered a unique opportunity for Peru’s Ministry of Culture to address the issue of overcrowding at Machu Picchu. Before the pandemic, unsustainable visitor numbers posed a threat to the preservation of the historic site. 

Nino del Solar Velarde, director of the archaeological research department at Machu Picchu, highlighted the post-pandemic changes: “We now have three circuits and ten routes that allow 4,500 visitors per day during the low season and 5,600 in the high season to explore the site in an orderly manner without compromising its conservation.” 

Challenges Ahead for Peru’s Tourism Sector 

While the revival of tourism brings hope to local communities, challenges remain. Civil and political unrest, including strikes and protests often targeting tourist hotspots, continue to disrupt the industry. These interruptions threaten the livelihoods of countless Peruvians who rely on a stable tourism sector. 

Looking ahead, Peru’s government faces the critical task of addressing these underlying issues while maintaining the momentum of the tourism revival. With better-managed attractions and robust visitor numbers, Machu Picchu is an enduring draw—but the future of Peru’s tourism sector depends on finding lasting solutions to the challenges that persist.