(CNN) — Tickets to visit Machu Picchu are sold out until mid-August, Peru’s Ministry of Culture says, after local and foreign tourists protested this week because of not being able to visit.
In a statement on Wednesday, authorities said they have met with locals to try to find a solution to the problem, adding that the permitted capacity is already at its maximum.
“In the face of claims of nationals and foreign tourists who arrived in Cusco for the national holidays and couldn’t get a ticket to visit the Llaqta, Inca, the director of Peru’s National Consumer Protection Authority (Indecopi) Mildred Fernández, met in Machu Picchu with authorities and residents, looking for a solution to the problem, announcing that the permitted capacity is already at its maximum limit.”
On July 17, the Ministry of Culture officially increased the admission capacity to enter Machu Picchu from 3,044 to 4,044 people per day until December 31.
In a Facebook statement, the ministry said: This decision took into consideration the conservation of the property to avoid irreparable damage that compromises its outstanding universal value, following the recommendations that UNESCO issues to the Peruvian State.”
The ministry urged tourists to plan their visit to the Inca city well in advance so as “not to be surprised by nonexistent tourist offers and to avoid the unnecessary crowds that are taking place due to the misinformation generated.”
Top image: View of the archaeological site of Machu Picchu in Peru. (Photo by Ernesto Benavides / AFP via Getty Images)