Peru’s Challenge to Build Tourism Outside the Shadows of Machu Picchu
Photo Caption: Newly implemented rules at Machu Picchu help the destination run like a well-oiled machine, but the country has more work to do; Photographer: Cameron McCallie Cameron McCallie
Skift Take
Peru has done a lot in terms of diversifying its tourism industry, but a stronger emphasis on a unified vision for tourism is still needed. If governments don’t start prioritizing tourism — which has far-reaching impacts on other industries, the environment, and the lives of locals — we’re going to lose critical parts of history that help explain who we are and how we got here.
When you think of Peru, you probably think of the same thing that I do — Machu Picchu.
I try to always “live like a local” when I travel, but this is one bucket list item I share with everyone. Four million people visited Peru in 2017; approximately one-third of those people (1.3 million) visited the 15th-century Inca citadel. That comes out to an average of about 3,600 people crawling all over Machu Picchu every day.
Machu Picchu continues to win awards for being the best tourist attraction in the world. A study by PromPeru, the tourism promotion agency of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru, confirmed Machu Picchu is the main reason people visit the country. But you probably could have guessed that.
Source: Adios Adventure Travel, “Top 100 City Destinations Ranking WTM London 2017 Edition” by Euromonitor International, Banco Central de Reserva del Perú, Peru Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática
The Peruvian government has been wor
