Train services suspended due to safety concerns as people demonstrate against Peru’s consolidation of ticket sales
In Peru, protesters block access to Machu Picchu, leaving some tourists stranded amid local anger over a new ticketing formula that halts rail transport to one of South America’s most culturally heritage sites.
Trains to the ancient ruins of the Andes have been suspended since Saturday due to safety considerations similar to those of protesters blocking train tracks. Tourist routes have yet to reopen on Monday, two tour operators told Reuters.
The protests, which began late last week, have prevented many tourists from around the world from visiting Machu Picchu.
The latest dispute has delivered a fresh blow to Peru’s tourism industry that was hit hard last year by widespread civil unrest, especially in the southern Andean region that is a key zone for the country’s huge copper industry.
The roundtables on Monday entered the second day of the dispute between the government and protesters angry at the government for consolidating ticket sales.
Peru’s minister of culture, Leslie Urteaga, traveled to the region on Sunday, but a solution to the “indefinite strike” being led by travel unions, tour operators and residents is yet to be announced.
Representatives of the Machu Picchu network fear that the new e-ticketing platform will hurt companies by “privatizing” sales and directing profits to a single company.
Agencies responsible for maintaining and preserving the site have warned of overcrowding and overselling tickets, forcing the government to look for new tactics to control visitor numbers as it recovers from the pandemic.
The government argues the new ticketing platform available from January will strengthen the way visitor numbers are managed. From this month, entries are capped at 4,500 per day, up from 3,800 last year.
In September, Peru temporarily closed three sites in Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in the 15th century as a devoted sanctuary to the Incas, due to deterioration caused by the gigantic influx of visitors.