The effects of tourism
in
Machu Picchu, Peru
MIC
The porters
are paid $10
each day for
a full day trip.
Hand craft market has
developed just for
tourists.
Positive
Generates $40
million are year
in income for
the Peruvian
government.
Tourists spend
money in the area,
which has a
positive impact on
the incomes of
local residents.
A trip of $12 is given to each
member of the tour party and
shared the porters. This is
considerably more than hotel
workers are paid
Economic
impacts
The hotels such as Sanctuary lodge at the
entrance to Machu Picchu and the train
line to the site are owned and run by the
Orient-express hotel group, based in
Bermuda. Therefore, a lot of the profit
made from tourism leaves the country
because the hotels are not owned by
Peruvians.
Negative
The best jobs and,
therefore, the high
paying jobs are done
by foreigners not local
people, who are
brought in to work by
the foreign hotel
company.
Year
Trekkers on the
Inca Trail
1992
5,000
1994
14,500
1996
30,500
1998
53,500
2000
82,000
The rubbish bins
along the trail are
picked up by park
wordens and
simply dumped,
usually in an
No plastic
bottles are
allowed on the
trail, since
2000, only
canteens.
The numbers of
people on the
trail are being
limited to 500 a
day to reduce
the rate of
erosion.
Garbage is
thrown into rivers
such as
Urubamba, or left
close to the trail.
This includes
human excreta.
Positive
The tourists pay $50
each to travel the
Inca Trail, which
contributes to the
upkeep of the
area.
Machu Picchu has
been designated a
world heritage site to
protect it from large
numbers of tourists.
Environmental
impacts
Negative
Tourists pick orchids
which grow among the
ruins and along the side
of the trail.
Erosion is beginning to
occur on the Inca Trail
due to pressure of 500
tourists a day. In 1998,
53,500 tourist walked
the trail.