page_title: Overtourism
section_title: South America
hierarchical_section_title: Overtourism / Examples / South America
caption_attribution_description: Español: Machu Picchu
context_page_description: Overtourism is the perceived congestion or overcrowding from an excess of tourists, resulting in conflicts with locals.The World Tourism Organization defines overtourism as "the impact of tourism on a destination, or parts thereof, that excessively influences perceived quality of life of citizens and/or quality of visitor experiences in a negative way". This definition shows how overtourism can be observed both among locals, who view tourism as a disruptive factor that increasingly burdens daily life, as well as visitors, who may regard high numbers of tourists as a nuisance.
  The term has only been used frequently since 2015, but is now the most commonly used expression to describe the negative impacts ascribed to tourism.
context_section_description: As of 2019 Peru limits visitors to Machu Picchu to 5000 per day, but UNESCO believes the limit should be halved. Starting in 2014 foreign tourists were required to hire a guide. In 2020 the site was planning to issue 5,940 tickets per day, which is more than twice the 2,500 UNESCO recommends to preserve the ruins.
  Ecuador's Galápagos Islands were included on Fodor's 2017 list of places not to go because of environmental damage caused by overtourism. As of 2017 visitors are required to hire a guide.
caption: Tourists at Machu Picchu
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