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LIMA: Peru opened the ruins of Machu Picchu for a single Japanese tourist after he waited almost seven months to enter the Inca citadel, while he was trapped in the Andean country during the coronavirus outbreak.
Jesse Takayama’s entry to the ruins came about thanks to a special request that he submitted while stranded since mid-March in the town of Aguas Calientes, on the slopes of the mountains near the site, said Monday (October 12) the Minister of Culture Alejandro Neyra.
“I had come to Peru with the dream of being able to enter,” Neyra said at a virtual press conference. “The Japanese citizen has entered with our park manager so that he can do so before returning to his country.”
Takayama, his entry ticket available since March, entered the ruins of the citadel built more than 500 years ago on Saturday, becoming the first visitor in seven months to be able to walk through the world heritage site. His original plan had been to spend only a few days in Peru to see Machu Picchu.
“This is so amazing! Thank you!” Takayama said in a video recorded on the top of Machu Picchu mountain.
Minister Neyra said that in November the stone ruins of Machu Picchu will be reopened for national and foreign tourists, without specifying the date. The site will allow 30 percent of its normal capacity of 675 people per day.
“We are still in the middle of a pandemic,” Neyra said. “It will be done with all the necessary care.”
