Cusco Voted Best City in Central and South America in the 2026 World's Best Awards
The imperial city of Cusco has once again solidified its global tourism leadership by crowning itself, for the fourth consecutive year, as the Best City in Central and South America in the prestigious 2026 World's Best Awards, organized by the influential American magazine Travel + Leisure. This recognition, officially announced by the Commission for the Promotion of Peru for Export and Tourism (Promperú), highlights the excellent positioning of the Andean destination among the main attractions of the continent.
With an outstanding score of 88.05 points, Cusco led the regional ranking. In their official publication, the magazine's editors emphasized that, far from being just the gateway to the Andes and the citadel of Machu Picchu, the historic capital of the Inca Empire captivates its visitors thanks to its traditional markets, its vibrant atmosphere, and its growing scene of craft cocktail bars and contemporary gastronomy.
Official Classification: Top Cities Scores in the Region
The competition in this edition of the 2026 World's Best Awards reflected a high standard across South and Central America. The scores of the ten cities leading the regional ranking are detailed below:
- Cusco (Peru) – 88.05 points (Winner)
- Bogotá (Colombia) – 87.97 points
- Mendoza (Argentina) – 87.46 points
- Antigua Guatemala (Guatemala) – 84.23 points
- Buenos Aires (Argentina) – 83.98 points
- Río de Janeiro (Brazil) – 83.66 points
- Lima (Peru) – 82.05 points
- Cartagena (Colombia) – 82.03 points
- Panama City (Panama) – 81.93 points
- Quito (Ecuador) – 81.85 points
The prominent presence of Cusco in first place and Lima in seventh position reaffirms Peru's strength as one of the most attractive and diverse tourism hubs in the region.
How are the Winners Chosen? Methodology and Voting Criteria
Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards are considered one of the most rigorous and respected sources of opinion within the global travel industry. The selection of winning destinations is based on a democratic and transparent methodology:
Reader Participation: In the 2026 annual survey, more than 207,000 magazine readers actively participated, casting a total of 661,000 votes. These evaluations covered more than 10,088 individual properties worldwide, including hotels, islands, airlines, tour operators, and cities.
Specific Evaluation Criteria: To rate candidate cities, users evaluated their direct experience based on six fundamental pillars:
- Sights and landmarks: The quality and significance of its historical monuments and natural landscapes.
- Culture: The richness of local heritage, museums, and preservation of traditions.
- Gastronomy: The variety and quality of the culinary offer, from traditional cuisine to contemporary proposals.
- Friendliness and hospitality: The treatment and warmth of the local population toward tourism.
- Shopping: The availability and authenticity of artisanal markets and local shops.
- Overall value: The value perceived by the traveler in relation to the cost of services.
Each of these aspects is rated on a scale ranging from "excellent" to "poor." The weighted average of these scores determines the final rating out of a maximum of 100 points.
Diversification of the Tourism Offer in the Imperial Region
Cusco's consolidation in international rankings reflects how the region offers a variety of experiences that extend far beyond a classic visit to Machu Picchu. Today's travelers seek to complement their trips with hiking routes and visits to natural and archaeological landscapes in Sacred Valley towns such as Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Palccoyo, and Chinchero. This combination of history, nature, and award-winning culinary arts—which fuses native ingredients with contemporary techniques—allows itineraries to be highly dynamic and customized.
For those travelers who wish to add a dose of controlled adventure to their cultural itinerary without making long transport detours, Sam's Zipline base presents itself as an ideal strategic stop; located at the Racchi Viewpoint (just 5 minutes from Chinchero and about 40 minutes from Cusco city), it sits directly on the side of the main highway connecting Cusco with the Sacred Valley, allowing visitors to safely experience an extreme circuit of 4 panoramic zipline lines, a Tibetan hanging bridge, and a giant swing in approximately two hours, without altering transfers toward Maras, Moray, or the Ollantaytambo train station.