On Wednesday, a study released by Peru’s Comptroller General’s Office, the agency responsible for overseeing and auditing the use of public resources and assets, revealed that the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu experienced an overload of 91,836 visitors between 2024 and 2025.
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The report details that the entry of thousands people was not accounted for, and on certain dates, the permitted capacity was exceeded, causing damage to the monument.
The Comptroller General’s Office stated that this overload has led to the historical sanctuary progressive deterioration , posing a threat to its preservation and even the risk of losing its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The document specifies that between August 2024 and December 2025, citizens and residents of Cusco with free entry on Sundays, delegations of Peruvian primary and secondary school students, visitors from the Inca Trail Network, and tour guides entered without being registered on the state control platform.
El ministro de Cultura, Alberto Beingolea Delgado, realizó una inspección técnica en la Llaqta de Machu Picchu y sostuvo reuniones de trabajo en Cusco para conocer las necesidades de conservación, protección y gestión del patrimonio cultural de la región.
— Diario El Peruano (@DiarioElPeruano) August 12, 2026
… The text reads, “The Minister of Culture, Alberto Beingolea Delgado, conducted a technical inspection in the Llaqta of Machu Picchu and held working meetings in Cusco to learn about the conservation, protection, and management needs of the region’s cultural heritage.”
Current regulations establish a maximum limit of 4,500 visitors per day during the low or regular season and 5,600 during the high season. However, overcrowding was recorded, with up to 1,138 people on October 20, 2024, 1,040 on April 20, 2025, and 1,031 on October 12, 2025.
The Comptroller’s Office identified the alleged administrative responsibility of three public servants from the Decentralized Directorate of Culture of Cusco and the Ministry of Culture, who failed to control the number of visitors through prior registration. The report also noted that these institutions approved an internal document stating that the entry of tour guides does not affect visitor capacity, which lacks technical or legal support.
During an inspection of the three authorized tourist circuits, auditors observed wear and tear on the original flooring, loss of covering, erosion of the pre-Hispanic platform floor, and deterioration of the stone elements of the staircases due to weathering and high visitor traffic.
The report recalls that at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee session held in Paris in May 2015, concerns were expressed regarding the daily visitor admission levels to Machu Picchu, and Peru was requested to submit a technical evaluation demonstrating compliance with the conditions for increasing visitor numbers.
#Mexico | President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the restoration of diplomatic relations with Peru, which had been severed in November 2025, following the granting of safe passage to former Prime Minister Betssy Chavez.https://t.co/4P4A8zAynX
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