Culture and Heritage Tourism

Culture and Heritage Tourism - HOST 4115

World Heritage Site Assignment: Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu

Professor Maria Banyai

George Brown College

Submitted by:

Kitty Cheng - 100628795

Chanel Hung - 100949797

Seung Yeon Seo - 100737214

Submitted on: February 3, 2016

Table of Contents

Introduction/Background…………………………………………………………… 3

Tourism at Machu Picchu…………………………………………………………..3-4

Impacts of Tourism………………………………………………………………….4-6
        Negative Impacts of Tourism ……………………………………………….. 4-6
        Positive Impacts of Tourism ……………………………………………………6

Visitor Management Techniques ……………………………………………………7-8

Management Unit of Machu Picchu…………………………………………......7

Facilities………………………………………………………………………….7

Visitors…………………………………………………………………………..7-8

Sustainability……………………………………………………………………...8

References………………………………………………………………………………...9

Appendix A……………………………………………………………………………...10

Introduction

Machu Picchu, which means old mountain in Quechua (native American language), is a royal Incan estate located eight thousand feet above sea level, and is situated on top of the Sacred Valley in the Andes Cusco region, based in Peru. It is known to be built in the 15th century, where two to three hundred royal Incan family resided during that time. This historic sanctuary, constructed in urban design consists of “precincts, plazas, temples, tombs, rooms for storing food, stone canals and stairways and platforms” (Machu Picchu, 2016).

This site with multiple functionality is noted to have served as a temple for religious/spiritual rituals, as an astronomical observatory, as well as a resting place for the Incan Empire. (Machu Picchu, org). During the Spanish conquest in the Cusco region during the sixteenth century, the sanctuary was abandoned (Thyberg, n.a.), but became available to the public for visits since 1911 after American professor/anthropologist Hiram Bingham rediscovered the site. (Machu Picchu, 2016).

Abundant in flora, fauna and its breathtaking view that Machu Picchu provides once reached, this site was registered as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage site by UNESCO in 1983. (Machu Picchu, 2016).

In this paper we examine the major attractions at Machu Picchu as well as the overall tourism at this site. We also analyze the positive and the negative economical, environmental, and social impacts caused by tourism at this historic sanctuary in addition to examining the visitor management techniques utilized at the site to overcome those impacts.  

Tourism at Machu Picchu

To observe the magnificent views at Machu Picchu, an estimation of five thousand travellers come to visit this site on a day to day basis, and approximately one million people from all over the world make a voyage on an annual basis during the peak season- in the months of May to October. (Frommers, 2016). Accessible either by train, shuttle bus, a short helicopter ride from the city, or by hiking the Inca Trail which could take up to four days, travellers use various means to arrive at the ruins of Machu Picchu to marvel at the five hundred year old Incan constructions. (Roach, 2002).

           Machu Picchu is constructed of various buildings in which they served for different purposes. After entering the ruins, there is Caretaker’s Hut which is situated above the ruins where it presents general overview and layout of Machu Picchu, showcasing the agricultural sectors with numerous rows of terraces. Passing the main entrance to the city and descending down a course of steep stairs is the Temple of the Sun which is most famous for its refined stonework. This round tower built up of gigantic stones is known to be used as an astronomical observatory, and its window is aligned with the sun rays of the June winter solstice. (Machu Picchu Peru, 2016). At the side of the temple is a Royal Tomb which is a two-storey cave building chiseled from stones, and on a higher section of the ruins is where the Temple of the Three Windows is situated. Only three of the five windows remain intact, and the three rectangular walls are built and carved from large rocks in which “each windows symbolize each part of the world: The underground (Uku-Pacha) the heaven (Hanan-Pacha) and the present or the actual time (Kay-Pacha).” (Machu Picchu, 2016).

After climbing up the rough path for an hour or so, there is a high mountain; about 400 m (1,300 ft) higher than Machu Picchu called Huayna Picchu. (Rediscover Machu Picchu, 2016). Although it often induces visitors to use both the feet and hands to climb up the coarse terrain, it has never let people down by presenting the gift of a breathtaking panoramic views of Machu Picchu and the mountains at the summit. Due to limited space at the summit, only a few visitors are able to observe the great scenery at a time, however, this does not put a stop to an increasing number of inbound travellers to discover the hidden archaeological gem.

Impacts of Tourism at Machu Picchu
Negative Impacts of Tourism 
        The Management Unit of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu faces pressure from major players in the tourism industry as well as locals who depend on the revenue streaming in from the site tourism.
        Due to the increase in tourism traffic, leading companies within the industry are pushing towards building a cable car system up to the ruins. However, the concern of a major landslide occurrence is preventing the green light to install the system. In the past, two landslides have occurred on the road that led up to the ruins from Aguas Calientes, along a steep embankment (Roach, 2002). These two incidents occurred back to back between December 1995 and January 1996. It has put scientists, geologists and the conservation community on alert of the risk of a tremendous landslide taking place at the site that could send stone ruins colliding into the Urubamba River below (Roach, 2002). In 1999, a landslide hazard assessment report was prepared by the International Council of Scientific Associations. The study led to a conclusion that if cable cars were to be built, the constant vibrations could trigger a major disaster since the upper station would sit atop the second most active landslide region (Roach, 2002).

        A contract was previously designated to Peru Hotels SA back in 1998 to build this cable car system. However, the contract was suspended in 2001 and one of the main reasons for this suspension was due to UNESCO’s firm opposition against the installation. UNESCO agreed that having cable cars would harm the natural vistas and increase tourist traffic to an unmanageable level of at least 400,000 visitors a year (Roach, 2002). Yet, the fight is not over for conservation communities. Peru Hotels is a subsidiary of Orient Express, an international hotel, train, restaurant, cruise company based in England. Orient Express runs the tourist trains from Cusco to Machu Picchu and also owns the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge at the entrance of the ruins (Roach, 2002). Despite President Toledo’s initial pledge to the Peruvian people that he would protect their national heritage, the community fears that the pressure from Orient Express may succeed and that increasing revenue by driving tourism may seem more appealing to the government than protecting the site (Roach, 2002).

        Many tourists opt to walk a portion of the Inca Trail (approximately 30 miles) to reach Machu Picchu. According to UNESCO, traffic along the stone trail has increased from 6000 visitors in 1984 to 66,000 visitors in 1998 (Roach, 2002). Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century to hold a capacity of approximately 700 - 800 inhabitants. Today, there are more than 2500 people that visit each day. A study completed by the National University of Cuzco observed that the great number of visitors are causing large boulders to shift (Chilman, 2016). The weight of the increasing number of visitors may one day lead to the collapse of the city (Chilman, 2016). Not only that, the immense number of visitors resulted in litter scattered amongst the trail due to lack of campsites and overcrowding and erosion of the heritage site due to lack of proper footwear (Leffel, 2005).