The challenges are significant. Visitor numbers have steadily increased, surpassing 1.4 million entries so far this year, putting pressure on the site’s carrying capacity and increasing the risk of deterioration. Measures such as daily entrance limits ranging from 4,500 to 5,600 visitors depending on the season have been necessary steps but remain insufficient in the face of growing demand. Additional operational problems—irregular ticket sales, visitor complaints about access and pricing, and occasional transportation disruptions—create a less satisfactory experience and highlight the lack of a stable and transparent management model.
The true challenge is not merely to retain an honorary title but to ensure that Machu Picchu preserves its authenticity and ecological balance for future generations. To achieve this, it is essential to go beyond partial solutions and emergency responses. A comprehensive management plan is needed—one that integrates visitor flow control, biodiversity conservation, protection of both tangible and intangible heritage, and the effective participation of local communities. These communities, heirs to ancestral knowledge and guardians of the territory, must play a central role—not merely be marginal beneficiaries—in decision-making and in the fair distribution of tourism-generated income.
Likewise, it is crucial for different levels of government to stop acting in a fragmented way. Coordination among national, regional, and local authorities, along with the private sector, must be based on technical criteria and long-term perspectives, not on political contingencies or jurisdictional disputes. Similarly, cooperation with specialized international organizations can bring best practices and conservation standards that strengthen the site’s protection without falling into isolation or improvisation.
The warning from New 7 Wonders, therefore, should be understood as an opportunity to address structural weaknesses, not as a threat feeding sensationalism. Global experience shows that heritage destinations which have successfully balanced tourism and preservation—such as certain archaeological parks in Asia or natural sites in Europe—have done so through comprehensive management policies, well-planned access controls, reinvestment of tourism revenue in conservation, and effective community participation.
Machu Picchu is not only a symbol of identity for Peru but a legacy for humanity. Its conservation and sound management demand a collective and sustained effort that prioritizes the protection of its historical, cultural, and environmental value over short-term political or economic interests. Turning this warning into an opportunity for improvement is the real challenge today—far beyond alarming headlines that, rather than helping, distract from what is truly at stake: the future of one of the world’s most precious heritage treasures.
