UNESCO recommends Peru control tourism to Machu Picchu

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has recommended that Peru’s government take measures to control the number of tourists that visit the country’s sacred Inca citadel, Machu Picchu, RPP radio station reported.

During its 34th session currently being held in Brasilia, the committee considered including Machu Picchu on the List of World Heritage in Danger, but in the end decided to only send a recommendation to Peru’s government.

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Transportation Ministry: Repairs to railway between Cuzco and Machu Picchu have been completed

Repairs to the railway between Cuzco and Machu Picchu have been completed by concessionaire Ferrocarril Transandino, Peru’s deputy minister of transportation, Hjalmar Maragunich, said in a release.

Tourists will be able to access Machu Picchu by train directly from Cuzco starting on July 1, Marangunich said.

He added that from July to September, conductors will have to operate the trains under certain speed restrictions because of the new tracks and also owing to increased curves in the new rail line. Read more…

Railway to Machu Picchu to be fully repaired by June 25, says local authority

Repairs to the railway to Peru’s sacred Inca citadel Machu Picchu will be completely finished by June 25, the mayor of Cuzco province, Luis Flores, told CPN Radio.

Train services to Machu Picchu will be operated by rail firm Peru Rail, Flores said.

Access to Machu Picchu was closed in late January after heavy rains caused flooding and mudslides that damaged the railway into Aguas Calientes, the town located below the citadel.

Machu Picchu reopened on April 1. Tourists can access the site by hiking the Inca trail or by traveling by road from Cusco or Ollantaytambo to Piscacucho at Km82, where tourists can board a train to Aguas Calientes at Km110.

Meanwhile, Flores also said he agreed with the decision by Cuzco’s regional government to ban the use of helicopters for tourists traveling to Machu Picchu.

The decision to prohibit helicopter rides to the UNESCO World Heritage Site was made in order to protect biodiversity around the citadel, daily El Comercio reported.

Environmentalists had protested the use of helicopters to Machu Picchu arguing that it affected the habitat of vicuna’s, the spectacled bear, and birds.

“When a country accepts that one of its areas is declared a cultural or natural heritage site it assumes the responsibility to preserve it, that’s why commercial flights [to Machu Picchu] should be prohibited,” the regional government said.

Machu Picchu is Peru’s top tourist site, attracting more than 850,000 visitors in 2008.

Machu Picchu attracts more than 13,400 tourists via Inca trail since reopening

More than 13,400 tourists have visited Peru’s sacred Inca citadel, and top tourist attraction, Machu Picchu via the Inca Trail since the site reopened on April 1, state news agency Andina reported.

Visitors are able to access the 45km trail from the Piscacucho community, located at Km 82 on the railway from Cuzco to Machu Picchu.  The trail is usually covered in four days. Read more…

Peru to seek executive council position on World Tourism Organization

Peru’s Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Martín Pérez said the country will seek a position on the executive council of the UN’s 154-member member state World Tourism Organization during next year’s elections, state news agency Andina reported.

“We want the country to have a larger role in the UNWTO and we are going to negotiate with other nations so Peru will become a member of the executive council in the 2011 elections,” Pérez said. Read more…

INC-Cuzco to begin selling Machu Picchu entrance tickets online

The National Institute of Culture’s (INC) office in Cuzco is planning to begin selling entrance tickets to Machu Picchu and other archeological sites on its website in an effort to improve services for tourists, state news agency Andina reported.

Tickets to Machu Picchu are currently available at three spots: the entrance to the Inca citadel; in the town of Aguas Calientes, which sites below the UNESCO World Heritage Site; and at INCs office in Cuzco. Read more…

Tourism Minister: Peru among top 10 global tourism destinations

Peru has been included among the top 10 global tourism destinations according to a survey, state news agency Andina reported Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Martín Pérez as saying.

According to a survey titled Country Brand Index, Peru was ranked among the top 10 tourist destinations with regards to culture and art, natural beauty and archaeology, said Pérez.

“There are different categories within tourism that include culture, art, natural beauty, and archaeology, among others, where we are among the world’s top 10,” said Pérez. “Without a doubt, that is a challenge.”

Peru ranked third in the art and culture category, he added. Read more…

Tall Ships to Sail from Callao Sunday

Twelve tall ships will set sail this Sunday from the port of Callao to Guayaquil, on the eleventh leg of South America’s first tall ships race.  

The regatta began February 2 in Rio de Janeiro, calling at the ports of Mar del Plata, Montevideo, Buenos Aires and Ushuaia before sailing round Cape Horn and north to Punta Arenas, Valparaiso and Antofagasta.  After Guayaquil, which they are scheduled to reach May 11, the ships will continue through the Panama Canal to Cartagena, La Guaira, Santo Domingo and finally Veracruz. The regatta ends June 28. Read more…

Tourism to Cuzco recovers 60 – 70 percent since Machu Picchu’s reopening

Foreign Trade and Tourism minister Martín Pérez said that tourism to Cusco has recuperated between 60 and 70 percent since access to Machu Picchu – Peru’s main tourist attraction – was  reopened April 1, state news agency Andina reported.

Pérez said he expects tourism to levels to Cusco to fully recover by June.

“Little by little tourism activity has begun to go back up in Cusco,” Pérez said. “I think the ‘Cusco Pone’ [tourism] campaign was a success and the arrival of Susan Sarandon also gave it very important coverage internationally.”

He said the ministry would continue to invite internationally recognized movie stars, including Sandra Bullock, to Cusco in order to promote the reopening of Machu Picchu.

Pérez said that Cuzco lost approximately $185 million due to cancellations by tourists. He added, however, that it was less than it could have been because January, February and March are historically slower months for tourism.

Machu Picchu reopened to tourists on April 1 after closing in late January due to flooding and mudslides that washed away large portions of the rail line leading to the sacred Inca citadel.

Current access to Machu Picchu is done by traveling by road from Cusco or Ollantaytambo to Piscacucho at Km82, where tourists can board a train to Aguas Calientes at Km110.

Promperú may extend Cuzco tourism campaign until July

Peru’s export and tourism agency Promperú is looking at extending until July the joint public and private sector tourism campaign “Cusco Pone,” state news agency Andina reported.

The tourism agency’s director, Jacquelin Saettone, said Promperú would like to extend the campaign until the railway to Machu Picchu is completely repaired. Read more…

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