700 Tourists Evacuated from Machu Picchu: Residents denounce Privatization of Ticket Sales

2024-01-28 00:41:09

– Nearly 700 tourists evacuated from Machu Picchu

Published today at 1:41 a.m.

Opponents launched an “unlimited” strike movement on Thursday to denounce the government’s decision to use a private intermediary to manage the sale of online tickets for Machu Picchu.

AFP

Nearly 700 tourists were evacuated from Machu Picchu on Saturday following a strike by residents once morest what they denounce as the “privatization” of the sale of entry tickets to the most visited Inca site in the world, said the Peruvian government.

Opponents launched an “unlimited” strike movement on Thursday to denounce a decision by the Ministry of Culture to use a private intermediary to manage online ticket sales.

A local collective says the company, Joinnus, might benefit from up to $3.2 million a year in commissions thanks to the new system.

World Heritage

The Ministry of Culture affirms that the new sales system should make it possible to control the flow of tourists and preserve the citadel, classified as a World Heritage Site since 1983.

“There is a risk that Machu Picchu will be removed from the list” due to an “excess of visitors” which might lead to its deterioration, said Ana Pena, an advisor to the Ministry of Culture, on Thursday. In September, Peru temporarily closed three sectors of Machu Picchu due to the impact of the number of tourists at the site, which welcomes an average of 4,500 visitors per day.

The archaeological complex, located 130 kilometers from the city of Cusco and 2438 meters above sea level, was built in the 15th century by order of the Inca emperor Pachacutec (1438-1470) and discovered in 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham.

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