Machu Picchu's first anniversary as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World was celebrated by many on Monday. As festivities were held in Cusco, Peru's Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism announced in Lima that the Inca citadel had broken a record in the number of tourists it had received.The ruins of Machu Picchu saw 800,158 tourists in 2007, an increase of 108,532 tourists when compared to 2006. As Minister Araoz announced this record, the head of the Archaeological Park gave information on what is being done to preserve the ancient city.One of the improvements to the citadel mentioned by Fernando Astete was the use of a new exit to the complex, which keeps tourists from conglomerating in one area.The head of the Archaeological Park also stated that throughout this year Peru's Institute for Culture (INC) has been investing 23 million soles in the restoration of monuments such as Machu Picchu, Patallacta, Waynaqente, Torontoy, Salapunku and Wikanacay.He added that an additional two million soles had been set aside for research.It was also announced that hundreds of thousands of soles were being invested in the installation of a security system, which would require the installation of fiber optic cables from the town of Machu Picchu to the citadel.
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