The Ministry of Culture of Peru authorized between November 16 and 19, the entry of 1,100 additional visitors per day to Machu Picchu – one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, as a result of the greatest tourist demand expected after Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Peru. The measure will increase the daily capacity of the Llaqta or Inka City from 4,500 to 5,600 during those four days.
The decision was approved by Ministerial Resolution No. 000414-2026-MC, signed on November 10 by the Minister of Culture, Alberto Beingolea Delgado. The increase will be exceptional, temporary and will be applied only once.
In total, the measure will enable 4,400 additional quotas during the authorized period. Tickets will be made available through the state platform TuBoleto, with the distribution of routes, circuits and schedules that governs in high season periods.
The increase will begin after the papal agenda in Cusco
Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Peru was declared of national interest and includes activities in Lima, Chiclayo, Cajamarca, Cusco and Pucallpa. The pontiff has planned an activity in Cusco on Sunday, November 15, before his transfer to the Amazon region of Ucayali.
Although the agenda of the Holy Father in Cusco concludes earlier, the Regional Government of Cusco requested to extend the capacity of Machu Picchu for the following days in the expectation of an increase in the arrival of national and foreign visitors.
The Decentralized Directorate of Culture of Cusco issued a favorable technical opinion, although it limited the extension to November 16, 17, 18 and 19. The report established that the application of the measure must be accompanied by a monitoring of its possible effects on the conservation of the archaeological site.
Capacity will return to 4,500 visitors from November 20
The resolution specifies that the increase does not permanently modify the load capacity of Machu Picchu nor does it constitute a precedent for future expansions. From November 20, the daily limit will again be 4,500 visitors, except in the high season periods already established by the Ministry of Culture.
During the four authorized days, the so-called high-season dynamic capacity will be applied. This system divides visitors into circuits and time slots to order the tour of the citadel and reduce the concentration of people in specific sectors.
The Decentralized Directorate of Culture of Cusco and the headquarters of the National Archaeological Park of Machu Picchu must coordinate with the entities involved in tourist management. They will also have to prepare a technical report after the completion of the measure, with the results of the monitoring and an evaluation of the state of conservation of the Llaqta.
A world heritage with regulated visit limits
Machu Picchu is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, and was inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 1983. UNESCO recognized it as a mixed cultural and natural heritage, for its architecture, its urban planning, its landscape and the biodiversity of its Andean-Amazonian environment.
The Historical Sanctuary closed 2025 with 1,542,350 visitors, a figure still lower than the record of 1,585,262 revenues of 2019. During the first eight months of 2026, the site received 961,809 tourists, according to figures released on the flow of visits.
The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (MINCETUR) began this year a new technical study on load capacity and acceptable change limit. The analysis will seek to update the criteria to define the number of people that the sanctuary can receive without affecting its cultural and natural heritage.
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