Machupicchu just won Latin America's green prize — for running tourism that gives back more than it takes

Machupicchu has won the Premios Verdes 2026 award for Resilient Cities and Communities, recognising a model built since its first carbon-neutral certification in 2021 — renewed three times since. The work is concrete: recycling PET plastic, turning used cooking oil into biodiesel, making biochar from organic waste, electric mobility, and ecological restoration that has captured more than 5,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, while the carbon footprint per tourist fell 7.07% between 2019 and 2024. Other destinations are now copying it: Bonito in Brazil adopted the model in 2023, and Cabo Blanco in Peru is completing its first certification this week.

SDG 11 · Sustainable cities and communities — Mechanism: institutional program