Summer School in Machu Picchu: the challenge of sustainable tourism
Institutional Communication Service
2 September 2025
From 21 to 28 August 2025, the Summer School "ICTs and the Challenges of Overtourism: Exploring the Case of Machu Picchu" took place, an intensive and interdisciplinary programme that brought together over 40 researchers, national and international experts, students and members of technical teams from the Peruvian Ministry of Culture and the Servicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (SERNANP).
The initiative was organised jointly by four UNESCO Chairs, including the UNESCO Chair in ICT for Sustainable Development and Tourism at USI, directed by Prof. Lorenzo Cantoni. It was held in collaboration with the University of Genoa, the University of Lima, and the University of San Martín de Porres, with support from the UNESCO office in Lima and various Peruvian institutions. This initiative served as an innovative laboratory for tackling the challenges associated with tourism at World Heritage sites.
During a week of activities in Lima, the Sacred Valley, and the Sanctuary of Machu Picchu—designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983—participants addressed specific challenges by utilising the ABCDE methodology developed at USI. This experience demonstrated how digital media can enhance access to information about cultural destinations, improve the tourist experience, foster connections between residents, visitors, and heritage, disintermediate certain relationships, and educate various stakeholders in the sector. The goal is to develop solutions that both protect cultural and natural heritage and promote sustainable tourism.
"This experience has strengthened inter-institutional cooperation in the field, showing how information and communication technologies, if well orchestrated, can be tools for communication and sustainable management at World Heritage sites," emphasised Prof. Lorenzo Cantoni, adding that "the USI UNESCO Chair is dedicated to this very issue."
Among the proposals that emerged were digital tools to enhance the visitor experience and raise awareness of site conservation, including the redesign of the official website with interactive resources, the use of augmented reality, and the creation of a "Machu Picchu Ambassadors" programme for individuals who complete training courses before purchasing tickets.
The programme also stood out for integrating traditional knowledge with digital tools, fostered through dialogue among local communities, heritage experts, and international students, aimed at enhancing both the tangible and intangible heritage of Machu Picchu.
With this initiative, USI further strengthens its international commitment to research and training on sustainability, cultural tourism and digital technologies, helping to spread replicable models in other World Heritage contexts.