After being locked down for eight months, Peru?s most iconic tourist destination Machu Picchu looks set to finally reopen next month.
Visitors can once again trek to the ?lost? Incan citadel high up in the Andes in the region of Cusco.
It is expected that the ancient metropolis will reopen at 30% capacity - with around 675 people permitted in a day - moving in small groups, guided along one-way routes.
It comes as the Peruvian government announced that the Unesco World Heritage Site had received a ?Safe Travels? seal of approval from the World Travel and Tourism Council. The initiative, which is backed by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, is the new global safety and hygiene standard to help rebuild trust and confidence with travellers.
An exact November date has not been relesed. Machu Picchu closed on March 16.
Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Roc?o Barrios said: ?We are going to come back, it is time. Tourism is the economic activity that has suffered the most from the coronavirus pandemic. For this reason, and for its reactivation, we want to offer visitors the best possible travel experience, with quality tourist destinations and services and complying with strict biosecurity protocols.?
Gloria Guevara Manzo, WTTC CEO said: ?I would like to congratulate Peru for being one of the most important destinations in the world to obtain the WTTC seal. I wish you a lot of success in this recovery process.?
Visitors require a negative PCR coronavirus test on arrival.
Image credit: Pav-Pro Photography/Adobe Stock
