Machu Picchu: The tuboleto.cultura.pe sales platform will no longer allow ticket reservations with a three-hour time limit. According to the new Machu Picchu regulation, starting this year, ticket reservations and purchases will have a 15-minute limit only.
The measure aims to prevent travel agencies, domestic visitors, and international tourists from blocking thousands of Machu Picchu tickets without completing the purchase—a practice that affected availability and caused economic losses to the Peruvian state.
The government announced a new regulation for Machu Picchu ticket sales, aimed at eliminating ticket blocking and making access to Peru’s main tourist attraction more transparent.
The Ministry of Culture (Mincul), in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) and Sernanp, approved changes that eliminate the ability to reserve tickets on the Tuboleto digital platform.
The decision was made after an audit detected a high number of reservations that were ultimately not completed. According to Audit Report N.° 007-2026, of the 209,051 reservations analyzed from eight tourism companies, 131,626 were canceled, which represents 62.96%.
In a recent investigation by the Ministry of Culture, AATC, APTAE, and ASOORCIC Inca Trail identified the blocking of thousands of tickets through the reservation system. Monitoring of five tourism agencies revealed a pattern of ticket separation and subsequent cancellation, which ended up affecting ticket availability for other visitors.
With the new mechanism, visitors must make a direct and immediate ticket purchase by providing their passport, ID, or personal information. Once the process begins, they will have 15 minutes to complete the transaction. The measure aims to prevent ticket hoarding and the artificial blocking that restricted availability for other visitors.
The changes were established through Ministry of Culture Resolutions N.° 333-2026 and N.° 334-2026. The platform will have 10 days to adapt technically to the new regulations. Subsequently, a 30-day pilot period will be conducted, during which authorities will evaluate how the system functions.
“One can reserve multiple tickets and block them. Then it becomes impossible for tourists to purchase them. When they log in, there’s no availability for today, tomorrow, or next month. If they try now, they won’t find tickets until December. What’s happening is there’s a ticket blockade; people can’t access them, and the problem is serious because it’s not that there aren’t tickets due to high demand—that’s not happening. The tickets are simply blocked and we’re not seeing that volume of tourists,” said Alberto Beingolea, Minister of Culture, during a press conference.
What about in-person ticket sales?
In-person sales will not be eliminated. The government confirmed that 1,000 tickets will remain available daily at Machu Picchu Pueblo for visitors who need to purchase a ticket at the last moment.
The digital sales modification is part of a broader reform in visitor management at the Machu Picchu Historical Sanctuary. Authorities plan to implement four management tools: visitor capacity, acceptable change limits, space use alternatives, and a management system.
The final goal is to organize tourist flow and ensure that the growing number of visitors does not compromise the conservation of Machu Picchu’s cultural and natural heritage.
What changes in Machu Picchu ticket sales?
The reservation option is eliminated. The digital platform will no longer allow users to block tickets without completing the purchase.
Purchase must be completed within 15 minutes. Visitors will have that time frame to complete the transaction once the process begins.
Visitor identification is required. Purchase must be made by providing an ID or other corresponding personal information.
The platform will be modified technically within 10 days. The digital system will adapt to the new rules.
A 30-day pilot period will be conducted. During this time, the new system’s performance will be evaluated before full implementation.
In-person sales of 1,000 tickets daily continue. Visitors who need to purchase a last-minute ticket can continue buying at Machu Picchu Pueblo.