Quilter Cheviot reports on ways of addressing over tourism. A “solution to overtourism is to travel to familiar places in unfamiliar ways, or at less familiar times.

 

Peru’s sacred site of Machu Picchu is a great example. The Peruvian government limits the number of Inca Trail trekking permits to 500 a day, but that’s still a lot of people heading off in the same direction, often at the same time. For most visitors it’s an early rise, so as to arrive at the Sun Gate in time for sunrise, but Machu Picchu is in a cloud forest, and in the early morning it is often shrouded in mist.  By the time the sun breaks through and the site is revealed in all its glory, the crowds are already on a train back to Cusco. Ideally, clients would experience the satisfaction of arriving at Machu Picchu on foot and get there in the afternoon.”

Back to List