MACHU PICCHU 3

MACHU PICCHU 3

Machu Picchu is an Incan citadel found up high on the Andes mountain in Peru; it is located on a ridge between the Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu mountains. It is considered to be one of the most visited places worldwide (Peru Less, n.d.). Machu Picchu was rediscovered by yale explorer Hiram Bingham iii in 1911, the site has been a critical feature in culture and has gotten the attention of academics, history buffs, rugged travelers, backpackers and globe explorers (MacQuarrie et al., n.d.). The Peruvian government declared the site a Historical sanctuary in 1981, while in 1983, it was declared a World Heritage by The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Additionally, it was voted as one of the world seven wonders in 2007(Whitman, 2019). There has been an explosion of interest in Mach Picchu because of its leading conservation programs, less traveling expenses, and the use of the information wave. Because of the high demand by tourists to visit the site, the authorities implemented measures to curb tourism in 2011 since there were two conflicting priorities; promoting tourism, which stimulates the Peruvian economy and conserving the historical site. The number of tourists entering the site was set at 2500 tourists per day; the number of tourists who took a four-day-trek into the Machu Picchu was set at 500; 300 of them are guides and porters (Dall, 2019). To conserve and secure the place, more measures continue to be implemented.

To control and monitor the visitors’ flow, Machu Picchu management raised the entry fee from 17$ to 50$. Secondly, all independent hikes without an authorized guide were called off, and a group of more than seven tourists was to be assigned two guides. Thirdly, if tourist needs to book a visit to the Inca trail, they have to do it three to six months in advance. Fourthly, porters were asked to carry less than 20kilograms. Fifthly, groups are not to stay more than four nights in the Inca trail that lies in the Machu Picchu sanctuary. Finally, the trail will be closed once annually for maintenance, and only a licensed guide will be permitted to sell the trail packages (“Machu Picchu | Tourism | Tourist Management,” n.d.). Other strategies can be implemented to manage the Machu Picchu for it to be conserved and attract more tourists in Peru.

An organization by the name Cultural Site Research and Management (CSRM), conducted a test to use a Geographical Information System software (GIS). The software can be used to monitor and control the number of visitors on the site. The study proved that the software can be used to mitigate crowding and damages at the Machu Picchu site and others sites that are at risk of varying visitors’ number who might put it them at risks of disasters (Comer, 2016). The Peruvian is also investing in other tourist attraction sites, that can be used to hold tourist as they await to visit the Machu Picchu site, this will help boost the Peruvian economy (Dall, 2019)..

I have learned several facts about the Machu Picchu, being one of the seven wonders of the world, most people are interested in visiting the place. The decision to curb tourism in the site was vital since making money the priority would have put the site at a high risk of being damaged. Managing the archeological site is not an easy task, and new strategies need to be put in place to make it both conserved and profitable to every Peruvian.

References

Comer, D. (2016). Preserving Machu Picchu. Esri. Retrieved 5 March 2020, from https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/arcnews/preserving-machu-picchu/.

Dall, N. (2019). Why Peru Wants You to Avoid Machu Picchu | OZY. OZY. Retrieved 5 March 2020, from https://www.ozy.com/fast-forward/why-peru-wants-you-to-avoid-machu-picchu/95268/.

Machu Picchu | Tourism | Tourist Management. Geographyfieldwork.com. Retrieved 5 March 2020, from https://geographyfieldwork.com/MachuTourismManagement.htm.

MacQuarrie, K., Cueto, A., Salinas, G., & Puente, J. Machu Picchu Tourism. Machupicchu.org. Retrieved 5 March 2020, from https://www.machupicchu.org/machu_picchu_tourism.htm.

Peru Less. Machu Picchu Facts. Machupicchu.org. Retrieved 5 March 2020, from https://www.machupicchu.org/machu_picchu_facts.htm.

Whitman, M. (2019). How Many Tourists Visit Machu Picchu Annually. Machu Picchu Trek. Retrieved 5 March 2020, from https://www.machupicchutrek.net/how-many-tourists-visit-machu-picchu-annually/.