Research
Research Reports
Original data reports and analyses on Machu Picchu, Cusco, and Peruvian travel from our team in Cusco. Citation-ready for journalists, writers, and researchers — methodology and sources documented on every report.
Available reports
Machu Picchu in a Warming Andes: How Climate Change Is Reshaping South America's Most-Visited Site
A data-driven look at how climate change is reshaping the Machu Picchu region — glacier retreat in named Cusco peaks, Sacred Valley agricultural shifts, water security projections, and what it all means for the citadel and the people who live around it. Citation-ready, with sources.
Read more →The State of Machu Picchu 2026: A Data Report on Visitors, Costs, Crowding, Climate, and the Future
An annual data report on Machu Picchu — visitor numbers and trends, a decade of cost inflation, the 2024 circuit system's real-world impact, glacier retreat in the surrounding peaks, the economics of a typical trip, and projections for the new Chinchero airport era. Citation-ready, with sourced figures and a methodology section.
Read more →The True Cost of Visiting Machu Picchu: A Decade of Price Data, 2016–2026
Ten years of pricing data on every component of a Machu Picchu trip — entry fees, trains, hotels, operator margins, treks. Nominal vs inflation-adjusted, broken out by tier, with the components that have risen most and least. Citation-ready, with sourced figures.
Read more →Where Your Machu Picchu Money Actually Goes: The Economic Anatomy of a $700 Trip
A dollar-by-dollar breakdown of where the money goes from a typical mid-range Machu Picchu trip — operator margins, porter wages, train operator revenue, government fees, hotel margins, and the share reaching Peruvian workers. Citation-ready, with sourced figures and ethical-travel context.
Read more →About These Reports
Reports in this section are written by our Cusco-based team using a combination of publicly available data (Peruvian government tourism statistics, glaciological inventories, UNESCO documentation, peer-reviewed studies) and on-the-ground reporting. Where we cite specific numbers, we link to the source; where we offer analysis or interpretation, we label it as such. Each report includes a methodology section so the data can be used and re-cited responsibly.
If you're a journalist, writer or researcher who'd like to cite these reports, you're welcome to do so with attribution to Machu Picchu Help and a link to the report URL. For questions about methodology, sources, or to commission custom data work, contact us via WhatsApp.