Closed after protests, Machu Picchu finally reopens to tourists

Machu Picchu, an Inca tourist gem and main attraction in Peru, has been open to visitors again since Wednesday February 15 after 25 days of closure due to the protests that have rocked the country since last December.

The first tourists entered the archaeological site on Wednesday morning, under an unusual sun for the season, noted an AFP journalist.

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They were able to visit the various sacred sites and temples that make up the "

" (citadel in Quechua) in peace due to very low attendance.

Some 700 tourists, including British and French, had visited the archaeological site by midday on Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Culture, whose officials attended the reopening of the site.

“

,” said Maritza Rosa Candia, director of the ministry in Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire located 110 km from Machu Picchu.

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The train partially returned to service

The famous site, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, was closed on January 21 due to demonstrations demanding the resignation of President Dina Boluarte.

The railway line, the only way to reach the site, from the town of Ollantaytambo, 30 km away, was cut for 18 days, the track having been damaged by demonstrators.

As a result, 400 tourists had been stranded at the site by January 21, and the Machu Picchu area suffered from commodity shortages.

Last week, rail traffic had partially resumed but access to trains was restricted to locals.

The trains have been running again since February 15 but with reduced frequencies, indicates the website of the PeruRail company.

Ms. Candia explained that when the archaeological site was closed, the authorities took the opportunity to work “

” of the tracks.

Tourism, a key sector of the Peruvian economy and a major source of employment, attracted some 4.5 million visitors per year before the Covid pandemic in 2020.