Tourism minister Martin Perez says the rail repairs are advancing and that officials hope to be ready for tourists by the start of April. Other than a days-long hike, the train is the only route to Machu Picchu and some 4,000 tourists were stranded for up five days in villages near the ruins when floods hit. An estimated 600,000 foreigners visit Machu Picchu each year.

February 25, 2010 - The National Geographic Channel has just premiered a new documentary, Nasca Lines: Buried Secrets, from Edge West Productions, directed by celebrated British documentarian Philip J. Day. This in-depth doc comes at a perfect time, giving an American audience an exciting view of the history and mysteries of Peru beyond Machu Picchu. Nasca Lines: Buried Secrets will certainly inspire its audience to visit Peru to see the lines in-person and to experience the county on the whole. The show premiered in the USA on Sunday, but will be re-airing a number of times over the next few weeks.

* Editor’s Note: In 2005, I had the good fortune to visit the Nasca lines from the ground, and from above in the seat of a 6 passenger Cessna, and was simply mesmerized, realizing a childhood dream to visit the mysterious lines drawings on the face of the earth. It’s this very location and that very trip that inspired ATTA efforts to collaborate with Archaeology and the Archaeological Institute of America to co-develop: “A Guide to Best Practices for Archaeological Tourism” (from this site, industry professionals may download the free guidelines. The alert about this documentary arrived from Willy Blackmore’s thoughtful letter below, otherwise, as an individual who does not own a television, I may have missed this one!

“Hello – As you well know, the recent flooding in Peru has caused huge amounts of damage to local populations, destroying houses and infrastructure. And in addition to the personal losses of Peruvians affected by the torrential rains, there is the economic damage to communities caused by a loss in tourism due to Machu Picchu’s temporary closure. Peru is, of course, much more than just this one ancient ruin which is so well known throughout the world and the government has been pointing to other cultural treasures found in the country, such as the Nasca Lines, as lesser-known but equally as interesting tourism destinations. The monumental lines etched in the desert have long mystified and fascinated visitors, giving rise to theories of alien influence and lending inspiration to contemporary artists working with nature as a medium.

This Sunday at 10 PM EST, the National Geographic Channel will be premiering a new documentary, Nasca Lines: Buried Secrets, from Edge West Productions, directed by celebrated British documentarian Philip J. Day. This in-depth doc comes at a perfect time, giving an American audience an exciting view of the history and mysteries of Peru beyond Machu Picchu. Nasca Lines: Buried Secrets will certainly inspire its audience to visit Peru to see the lines in-person and to experience the county on the whole.

Would you be interested in writing something about the premiere of the Nasca Lines: Buried Secrets in additional to your coverage of the flooding? If so, please let me know—I can send you a link to the trailer and more information about the documentary and Edge West Productions.

According to Orlando Olivera, from Cosituc agency, more than 10,000 tourists visited several alternative archaeological sites, such as Q’enqo, Puka Pukara, Tambomachay, Tipón, Pikillaqta, Pisaq, Ollantaytambo, Moray and Chinchero.

Other places that are receiving lots of visits are the Koricancha Museum, the Qosqo Center of Native Art and the Monument to Pachacútec.

He explained that this promotion is attracting not only domestic tourists, but also foreign ones, interested in the special prices and services

Peru's government is cutting air fares and hotel rates hoping to draw tourists to the Incan city of Cuzco even though the country's top tourist destination, the nearby Machu Picchu fortress, remains inaccessible.

Tourism Minister Martin Perez said the promotion begins Thursday and will be extended first to domestic tourists before being offered to international visitors. Perez said the offer will include 50% price cuts for air fares to Cuzco and rooms at the city's main hotels.

Officials are trying to restore a rail line to Machu Picchu that was damaged by rain-fueled landslides and floods in late January.

The train is the only route to or from Machu Picchu and some 4,000 tourists were stranded for up five days in villages near the ruins.

Peru's tourism Minister Martin Perez said the promotion begins on Thursday and will be extended first to domestic tourists before being offered to international visitors.

The offer includes up to 50 per cent off air fares to Cuzco as well as rooms at some of the city's main hotels.

A stay at one of Inkaterra’s three main hotels, including The Reserva Amazonica Lodge, The Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel and La Casona, is guaranteed 100 percent carbon neutral for each guest through use of clean technology, eco-friendly operational practices and protection of more than 42,000 acres of forest.

This will enlarge the offer for tourists and also will allow the decentralization of the visitors and allow them to flow from the heart of the citadel towards any of these new spots, since the daily visits can reach 2,500.

These new spots have been under research and cleaning during the past three years; they are five archaeological groups in the lower and eastern part of the mountain.

Among these new attractions there are four water fountains built with carved stones were used for rituals during the Inca empire.

According to Fernando Astete, Machu Picchu will add more tourist areas as archaeological works progress, stressing that “currently the project is at 60%, and in the future new sectors will allow us to have another access through the lower part and eastern part of the mountain."

According to Perez, 2.56 million tourists arrived in Peru during 2008, while only 2.30 million arrived in 2009; however, he estimated that receptive tourism will grow in Peru, since it is decreasing in another countries due to international financial crisis and AH1N1 influenza issues. (Mexico)

He clarified that the increase of domestic tourism compensated the drop in the number of US and European travellers.

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The Inca Trail ranked 5th in their final list, quoted by Peru.com

The jury, which has conspicuous members such as Tony Wheeler, founder of the famous Lonely Planet, studied during months the most intense adventures offered in several destinations around the world.

“We are convinced that despite the crisis, British love for adventure remains intact,” said one of the jurors, Simon Calder.

The Inca Trail is part of a network of more than 30,000km of roads that were built during the Inca Empire, and runs along important archaeological sites, offering an impressive panoramic view of the area.