BARRIO – After Peru’s Ministry of Culture announced that tickets the country’s most iconic and in-demand site, Machu Picchu, were sold out until mid-August, the government on Thursday extended the number of people who can visit.

It has expanded the number of visitors to 5,044 per day, Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism Roberto Sánchez Palomino tweeted Thursday. That’s up from 4,044 visitors per day.

This is not the first time this month that Peru has added capacity to the environmentally fragile site.

On July 17, the Ministry of Culture officially increased the admission capacity from 3,044 to 4,044 people per day.

The ministry has urged tourists to plan their visit to the Inca city well in advance. You can go to Ticket Machu Picchu to see what’s still available.

Peru is trying to maintain a delicate balance between tourism demand and preservation of treasured sites.

Starting in 2023, Venice, Italy, will be the first city in the world to require an entry fee, with a booking system to be set up for day trippers. Only those holding reservations will be allowed entry into the city.