"This means having a group of visitors in the morning, and another one in the afternoon, comprising some 2,000 people each," said the minister on Tuesday.

As an example, he said that "instead of having a hundred youngsters walking around Machu Picchu for 10 to 12 hours, we could organize tour groups entering and leaving the citadel in a short time and along pre-established routes."

The minister also stressed the need to provide these groups with accredited guides in order to prevent damage to the archaeological sanctuary.

"There are already three different routes and more could be implemented," he told RPP radio.

Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and a New Seven Wonder of the World in 2007.

(END) LBH/JOT/CRB/EEP