Peru: Mincul, Mincetur announce improvements to Machu Picchu, Inca Trail ticket sales

00:30 | Lima, Sep. 13.

Ministers Alberto Beingolea (Culture) and Rogers Valencia (Foreign Trade and Tourism), joined by National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the Peruvian State (Sernanp) Chairman Jose Carlos Nieto Navarrete, recently announced major improvements to the ticket sales system for access to the Machupicchu Llaqta and the Inca Trail Network.


The measures are aimed at ensuring greater transparency and better access conditions for domestic and foreign visitors.

One of the main improvements involves eliminating the three-hour reservation period and replacing it with a direct sales mechanism with confirmed payment.

In other words, users will have a maximum of 15 minutes to complete the purchase.

Once the payment has been made and validated, the ticket will be assigned and issued in the visitor's name.

Thus, the sales process will follow a clear and transparent sequence: ticket available – payment confirmed – ticket assigned – ticket issued.

This new mechanism will allow unused tickets to become immediately available for sale again, preventing reservations that are ultimately not completed from reducing availability for the public.


The measure draws on the deficiencies identified in Audit Report No. 007-2026-2-5765-AC, which states that the eight tourism companies analyzed recorded 209,051 reservation transactions.

Of this total, 131,626, equivalent to 62.96%, were canceled, while only 73,956, or 35.38%, were completed with the corresponding payment.

In the case of ticket sales for the Inca Trail Network, travel and tourism agencies will continue to participate in the purchasing process.

The tickets will be linked to the confirmed payment and the visitor's identification to ensure a more orderly and transparent process.

Culture Minister Alberto Beingolea said these improvements do not alter the admission capacity of the Machupicchu Llaqta or the Inca Trail Network.

The change lies in how available tickets are offered, purchased, paid for, registered, and assigned.

"We are putting visitors first. Tickets for the Inca Trail Network and the Machupicchu Llaqta must be genuinely accessible to Peruvians and tourists from around the world. We are putting the system in order to ensure greater transparency and a real opportunity for everyone to gain access," he stated.


These measures have received the favorable opinion of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur), which considers that the direct sales model with immediate payment helps enhance the effective availability of tickets for the benefit of tourism.

In this regard, Minister Valencia underscored that this improvement will help enhance the visitor experience and confidence in Machupicchu as one of the world's leading tourist destinations.

"We are making ticket purchases a simpler, more transparent, and more predictable process. We want visitors to be able to plan their trips with confidence and ensure that every available spot actually goes to those who want to visit our wonder," Valencia stated.

"This is an important step toward further consolidating Peru as a competitive, sustainable, world-class tourist destination," he noted.

Likewise, the Sernanp Executive Chairman highlighted that the new measures will help protect this important Mixed World Heritage Site, both cultural and natural.

"We have identified opportunities for improvement that will allow us to continue optimizing our processes and strengthening the experience we provide to our visitors," Nieto said.

"We will continue working in coordination to strengthen the management of the Historic Sanctuary of Machupicchu," he added.


The Ministry of Culture (Mincul), the governing body for cultural heritage matters, together with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) and Sernanp, reaffirm their commitment to transparent, orderly, and sustainable management of the Machupicchu Llaqta and the Inca Trail Network.

(END) NDP/MVB

Published: 9/13/2026