Upgraded online booking system for tickets to Machu Picchu

Tourists can now book and pay for tickets to visit Peru's leading attraction, Machu Picchu, from anywhere in the world thanks to an upgraded online booking system. 

From the end of April tourists can now simply go to www.machupicchu.gob.pe, reserve tickets, pay by VISA, print out tickets and go directly to the Historic Sanctuary.

Peru's Tourism Board coordinator for Asia Pacific, Rosana Guinea comments:  "Having an online booking portal where tourists anywhere in the world can plan trips to Machu Picchu does make it a lot easier.  It also allows us to understand the visitor profile to Machu Picchu as we capture information such as nationality, age and gender. 

We also plan to develop this site further with more information and have other cultural tours and activities available to book."

Machu Picchu is on everyone's wish list when booking a trip to Peru and 2011 is a very important year as it marks 100 years since the American explorer and politician, Hiram Bingham, rediscovered this lost city of the Incas for the world to see. 

The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu remains Peru's top tourist attraction and the first quarter of 2011 saw visits to Machu Picchu increase by 33,000 people compared to the first quarter of 2009 to 127,963 visitors (figures are compared to 2009 and 2010 as the citadel was closed between January and April 2010 due to heavy rain and mudslides).

Online booking site: http://www.machupicchu.gob.pe/

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