The suspension on Friday of the sale of tickets to access the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, in southeastern Peru, angered merchants and sparked protests from tourists, according to an AFP journalist on the spot.
The protests took place around the citadel as well as in the town of Machu Picchu, also known by its old name of Aguas Calientes.
“It’s a scam,” said the tourist angrily, who claims he paid $65 for the train from Ollantaytambo, some 148 kilometers away.
The wrath of the merchants
The city’s merchants have also expressed their discontent. Dozens of them blocked the railway to prevent the movement of trains, demanding that the Ministry of Culture resume the sale of tickets to Machu Picchu in order to reactivate the local economy.
The authorities did not give any explanation for the suspension decided on Friday, but the entrance tickets to Machu Picchu are subject to quotas.
Given the demonstrations, the Ministry of Culture indicated that it had finally decided to resume ticket sales, respecting the limit set to protect the archaeological heritage.
This is the second demonstration in just over two weeks against the lack of tickets to visit this tourist site.
Before the first demonstrations, around 4,000 people could enter the citadel daily. The ministry agreed at the end of July to increase this capacity to 5,000 people per day.
This ancient city is located 110 km from Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire, and was built in the 15th century by Emperor Pachacutec.
Machu Picchu has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.
Source: BFM TV
