As the only rail line to Machu Picchu, the ancient Inca imperial city that is one of the world's representative human heritage sites beyond Peru, was blocked by violent protests, concerns are growing over the Peruvian government's ability to manage its core cultural heritage. Some even argued that Machu Picchu should be stripped of its "New Seven Wonders" status.
According to Peruvian media outlet El Comercio on the 18th (local time), protests by local residents over a bus operating license intensified at the gateway to the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu in the Peruvian Andes last, leaving more than 900 tourists from around the world stranded in a high-altitude area over 2,000 meters.
According to a notice from PeruRail, the Peruvian state railway, protesters mainly made up of local residents began blocking the tracks on the 14th, the only public transportation link between the village of Aguas Calientes near the ruins and the outside. Protesters piled logs and rocks of various sizes, and some dug out portions of the track, undermining its stability. PeruRail ultimately declared a suspension of service on the line on the 15th.
This line is the only route that virtually all tourists in the world must take to reach Machu Picchu. Except for "Inca Trail" hikers who spend days trekking up the mountains, most tourists take a train from the nearby hub city of Cusco to the gateway town of Aguas Calientes. From there, they transfer to a bus up to Machu Picchu. If this rail line is blocked, the route to Machu Picchu is effectively cut off entirely. Protesters appear to have seized on this, taking the unprecedented step of blockading the tracks.
According to the Peruvian Ministry of Tourism, more than 1,400 visitors to Machu Picchu had been evacuated by the 17th, but about 900 remained isolated in Aguas Calientes. The stranded included travelers of various nationalities, such as from France, Japan, the United States, Brazil, Germany, and Portugal. Some tourists were told they would have to walk for hours to find alternative transportation. Even as tourists were being evacuated, protesters and police clashed in nearby areas, leaving several people injured. Local media said there were 14 injured on the police side alone as violent protests continued day after day. Peruvian authorities said on the 18th that they reached an agreement with protesters to halt demonstrations for 72 hours and restore the rail line, but tourists remain on edge.
The protests stemmed from a contract dispute over the bus transport license that carries tourists up to Machu Picchu. The route from the gateway town of Aguas Calientes up to the ruins had been exclusively operated for 30 years by a company called Consettur. This golden-egg-laying route finally saw its contract expire on Sept. 4. But Aguas Calientes was excluded from the new contract. When a neighboring jurisdiction that shares Machu Picchu unilaterally named a new operator, residents of Aguas Calientes took to the streets, saying "the operator selection process is opaque and unfair" and that "local residents' opinions were completely ignored."
As the situation worsened, New7Wonders, the Swiss private foundation that selects the "New Seven Wonders of the World," issued a warning statement to the Peruvian government. The foundation noted that "unplanned overtourism, high prices, irregular ticket sales, and social conflicts are worsening visitors' experiences at Machu Picchu and damaging Peru's image."
The foundation is a private organization founded in 2000 by Canadian filmmaker and explorer Bernard Weber. Noting that most of the "Seven Wonders of the World" chosen in ancient Greece had been lost, Weber created the foundation to select a modern set of wonders. Although it is not a public body run by intergovernmental agreements like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), it wields significant media influence based on popular taste.
In 2007, the foundation conducted internet and telephone voting worldwide and selected the "New Seven Wonders of the World" based on more than 100 million votes. Governments, local authorities, and corporations in many countries mounted large-scale publicity campaigns at the time, underscoring the substantial public recognition and marketing impact.
At that time, Machu Picchu made the list alongside the Great Wall of China, the Roman Colosseum, India's Taj Mahal, Petra in Jordan, Chichen Itza in Mexico, and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil. Tourism resources that had been relatively less known, such as Petra in Jordan and Chichen Itza in Mexico, enjoyed significant economic benefits after selection as public recognition surged. The Peruvian National Institute of Culture also said, "Daily visitors to Machu Picchu increased by more than 70% in 2008, immediately after the 2007 selection."
However, New7Wonders said the current situation has significantly damaged the credibility of the "New Seven Wonders." Jean-Paul de la Fuente, Director General of New7Wonders, told CNN, "In recent years, as tourist numbers at Machu Picchu have soared, a range of problems have worsened, including rising service prices, risks to historical heritage, reports of wrongdoing in ticket sales, transportation issues, and limits in management and conservation policies." He emphasized, "Stakeholders should take this situation as a warning to set Machu Picchu right."
Governments around the world also raised their alert levels for travel to Peru. The U.S. Embassy in Peru issued a security alert advising its citizens to avoid protest sites and large gatherings. The embassy said, "Travelers intending to visit Machu Picchu should be aware that transportation, site access, and other services may be limited without prior notice," and urged, "Prepare sufficient supplies for your entire itinerary, including food, water, and medical items."
The situation is expected to hit the economy of the Cusco region especially hard, as it depends heavily on tourism revenue. The tourism economy in the region spanning Cusco and Aguas Calientes has yet to fully recover from the pandemic shock. According to the Peruvian Institute of Economics (IPE), the total number of visitors to Machu Picchu over the five years from 2019 to 2023, when the tourism industry collapsed, fell by about 5 million compared with before the pandemic. During the period, 33,000 tourism-related jobs disappeared in the Cusco region. One in three workers in the entire tourism industry lost their jobs.
Since last year, however, tourists have surged again, exposing turf wars and problems with the capacity of tourism infrastructure, experts said. The Cusco Regional Directorate of Foreign Trade and Tourism estimated that 15% of all travel packages have already been canceled due to the protests and that losses could reach $80 million (about 110 billion won) over the next four months through the end of the year.