Machu Picchu introduces strict time slots for visitors in bid to tackle overtourism

The popular attraction has changed its ticketing system

Machu Picchu in Peru (iStock)

Machu Picchu has changed its ticketing policy – and it’s now even stricter.

As of 1 January, the hugely popular Unesco World Heritage Site in Peru requires visitors to select specific time slots and arrive within one hour of them or risk being turned away.

This means that travellers who book for a 10am time slot need to arrive before 11am. There’s also a strict four-hour time limit for each visit, plus all tourists must be out by 5.30pm.

The Incan citadel in the Peruvian Andes first introduced ticketing in 2017, after surging tourist numbers prompted Unesco to threaten to put the attraction on its list of world heritage sites in danger.

Visitor numbers had swelled to an average of a 5,000 a day in summer, double the 2,500 advised by Unesco.

New rules were launched on 1 July 2017, with visitors only able to enter Machu Picchu with an official tour guide and tickets stipulating a specific time period, either morning (6am-12pm) or afternoon (12-5.30pm).

Group sizes were limited to 16 people, while visitors were required to follow defined routes around the site, rather than being free to explore.

The new system means visitors have to be even more organised, choosing from an early morning (hourly between 6-9am), morning (hourly between 9am-12pm) or afternoon (hourly from 12-3pm) time slot, according to the Peru Telegraph.

Visitors are advised to book months in advance, and once purchased tickets and entry times cannot be changed.

The price of entry has risen steeply since ticketing was first introduced, from £36 per adult to around £54.

Tickets must be booked through the official Machu Picchu website, a tour operator or the site’s office in Cusco.

There are currently 54 sites on Unesco’s list of World Heritage in danger. They include Vienna’s historic centre, Kosovo’s medieval monuments and six areas in the historic centre and docklands of Liverpool. The latter was added to the list in 2012 due to the proposed construction of Liverpool Waters, a massive redevelopment of the docklands north of the city centre.