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Machu Picchu, an Inca heritage site in Peru. / AFP-Yonhap

The Peruvian government has announced penalties against travel agencies to stamp out the scalping of admission tickets to Machu Picchu, the renowned Inca heritage site.

According to local daily La República on the 21st local time, more than 40 travel agencies exploited loopholes in the online reservation system to hoard Machu Picchu tickets in bulk and reap illicit profits by reselling them, prompting Machu Picchu authorities to call for a thorough investigation and strict penalties. Eight agencies are also suspected of using automated bots to snap up large volumes of tickets for illicit resale.

Machu Picchu authorities stressed that severe punishment is warranted, stating that these agencies harmed domestic and international tourists and tarnished Machu Picchu's global reputation through illicit ticket reservations.

The scalping operations came to light during an investigation into online booking trends by Peru's Ministry of Culture. An analysis of 210,000 recent Machu Picchu ticket reservations revealed that 62.9% of all bookings, or 131,626 tickets, were canceled.

Daily visitor capacity at Machu Picchu is capped at 5,600 during the peak season. Given the reality on the ground where many domestic and foreign tourists struggle to obtain tickets and even extend their stays, such massive cancellation figures appeared abnormal.

The investigation revealed that bulk bookings and subsequent cancellations were driven by illicit ticket reselling that exploited vulnerabilities in the online booking platform.

Under the previous system, users could reserve tickets online under pseudonyms, and bookings were finalized once payment was completed within three hours. Scalpers resold tickets secured under fake names at steep markups within that three-hour window. If no payment was made, the reservation automatically expired after three hours, leaving agencies with no financial risk.

Local agencies engaged in this practice resold tickets priced at 163 soles (around $48) for adult foreign visitors aged 18 and older for as much as $300.

Peru launched a pilot run of a revamped real-name ticketing system on the 11th, overhauling the previous online setup. Domestic and international visitors alike can now book only under their real names, and purchases are confirmed only when payment is completed within 15 minutes. Visitors must also present identification, such as a passport, upon entry to verify that the visitor matches the name on the ticket.

Authorities plan to run the new online ticketing system on a 30-day trial before confirming its permanent implementation. The Ministry of Culture explained that the trial period was established to thoroughly validate the new system.

                                                                                                            Son Young-sik