Machu Picchu Essay

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The impact of tourism on Machu Picchu and the local population The fascinating Inca city of Machu Picchu, in Peru, is situated on the eastern slopes of the Andes mountain range. Machu Picchu is 2,430 metres above sea level, in the middle of a tropical mountain forest. The city’s giant walls and terraces look as if they have been cut naturally out of the rock cliffs. It is one of the most important cultural sites in the world[1]. Machu Picchu was established as a National Archeological Park in 1968, a Historic Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983. Since its discovery in 1911 by Prof. Hiram Bringham, the Machu Picchu has experienced a significant increase in infrastructure, most of which has been related to tourism. For many years the only way to reach the site was by hiking along the Inca trail (Adams, 2013). Since the 1930’s there have been several infrastructure projects constructed with the goal of increasing tourism to the site. These projects are including a railway that transporting people or visitors from the city of Cuzco to Machu Picchu, several hotels, rest areas and other infrastructure (Maxwell, 2009). Along with the improvements of these transportation systems there have been other suggested projects such as a cable car to take visitors to the top of Machu Picchu. However, this project was discarded because it would seriously affect the world heritage authenticity and the value of integrity1. The accessibility restored in the early nineties and the growth of the visitors has increased ever since. According to Mincetur, “The number of tourists visiting Peru leaped from 1.5 million people in 2005 to 2.1 million in 2009”. This enormous increase in the number of Machu Picchu’s visitors has major impacts on the environment. The activities along the Machu Picchu site have caused pollution and a threat to the Machu Picchu’s

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