The suspension of ticket sales to access the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in southeastern Peru on Friday angered traders and sparked protests from tourists, according to an AFP journalist on the ground.
The protests took place around the citadel as well as in the village of Machu Picchu, also known by its old name of Aguas Calientes.
“I paid for my (train) tickets with Inca Rail for a day with a tour guide, we even paid extra for the bus that takes us to Machu Picchu where the ruins are and they didn’t want to let us through because we didn’t have a ticket,” Israel Gonzales Rizoo, a Mexican tourist, told AFP.
“It’s a scam,” said the angry tourist, who says he paid $65 for the train from Ollantaytambo, about 90 miles away.
Merchants in the city also expressed their displeasure.
Dozens of them blocked the railway line to prevent train traffic and demanded that the Ministry of Culture resume sales of tickets to Machu Picchu to revitalize the local economy.
The suspension decided on Friday was not explained by the authorities, but tickets to Machu Picchu are subject to quotas.
In view of the demonstrations, the Ministry of Culture announced that it had decided to finally resume ticket sales, respecting the limits established to protect archaeological heritage.
This is the second demonstration in just over two weeks against the lack of tickets to visit this tourist attraction.
Before the first demonstrations, around 4,000 people could enter the citadel every day.
The ministry agreed in late July to increase that capacity to 5,000 people a day.
Located 110 km from Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, this ancient city was built by Emperor Pachacutec in the 15th century.
Machu Picchu has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.