It was in 2007 that Peru’s Machu Picchuinca Sanctuary was designated as one of the world’s seven new wonders after winning over 100 million votes at the world’s convention.
The New7Wonders project, which now organized the vote, warns that Machu Picchu risks losing “reliability” as one of the astonishings, including overtourism, limited conservation policies and social conflict.
In a statement over the weekend, the organization said it all depends on the country’s “critical decision makers.”
“This designation implies a common commitment to the conservation and responsible management of the site, as well as the implementation of international conservation and management standards,” the statement said.
CNN reached out to New7Wonders to determine what would happen if the site lost its designation.
Machu Picchu was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983. That designation is not at risk as it is not associated with the New7Wonders campaign.
Peru’s Ministry of Culture has not commented directly on the New7Wonders statement. But a few hours later, UNESCO, the United Nations cultural institution, said in X, “it is the only competent organisation that promotes the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage.”
The ministry said that Machu Picchu’s “preservation and protection” was “uninfringed” and was not included on UNESCO’s list of dangers in World Heritage Sites. It also added at the 47th World Heritage Committee meeting in Paris in July, UNESCO “evaluated the improvements in visitor management and the implementation of its monitoring and conservation tools for Machu Picchu’s historic sanctuary.”
CNN requested additional comment from the Ministry.
Meanwhile, Peru’s Ministry of Commerce and Tourism said they are scheduled to meet with the national tourism association this Tuesday to seek an agreed solution to the “complex situation” in Machu Picchu.
The protests over transportation concessions have left thousands of travelers recently strewn around Machu Picchu, according to the Cusco Tourist Office. Cusco, in the Andes, is a common entrance destination for travelers bound by Machu Picchu.
The issue began in early September, with a demonstration over controlling concessions on the route leading to the sanctuary. The protest escalated on Monday, with Cusco residents blocking the train tracks leading to the site.
The Peruvian Ombudsman’s office announced Wednesday that protesters had reached an agreement to suspend the 72-hour demonstration and allow transportation services to resume.
CNN has contacted the Cusco Regional Government and Cusco Chamber of Cusco Tourism to comment on the New7Wonders statement and the extent of the issues the sanctuary is reportedly facing.
Are these issues recent or are they part of a larger, long-standing structural problem?
According to New7Wonders, “there are a variety of intense challenges that require high priority attention, as well as the lack of conflict between “high pressure from tourism, high pressure on services and goods, risk of damage to historic heritage, risk of damage to ticket sales, reporting difficulties in land sales, restrictions on management and protection policies, lack of repeat appeals and repeated complaints, and lack of repeated complaints and repeated conflicts,” according to New7Wonders.
In 2023, CNN reported that train services on the route to Machu Picchu were suspended due to a group of residents under attack, blocking railway tracks in protest of the Peruvian government’s decision to sell tickets online to the sanctuary.
Machu Picchu is expected to exceed 1.5 million visitors this year. According to Culture Minister Fabrio Valencia, that figure will break previous records for the most visitors in the year.
