Faced with the damage caused by the violent demonstrations that are sweeping the country, the Peruvian authorities have decided to close Machu Picchu to the public.
In Peru, the violence and degradation caused during the demonstrations are such that the Ministry of Culture has taken the decision to close Machu Picchu, the country's first tourist site, to the public. Since December, the country has been going through a major political crisis, triggered by the detention of former President Pedro Castillo, imprisoned for having tried to dissolve Parliament. Protesters are attacking public infrastructure and transport networks, demanding the resignation of interim president Dina Boluarte. She stands up and refuses the organization of new elections, while her rival calls himself the legitimate president of Peru, from the cell. The riots left more than 46 dead and more than thirty injured.
The political and social climate tended to generate extreme situations, notably those foreign tourists felt backwards coincés in the Inca city of Machu Picchu because of a railway line coupée by the protesters. Ce type d'incident s'était déjà produit en décembre. Des touristes avaient passé quatre jours dans la cité, contraints de rejoindre la ville la plus proche, Cuzco, à 110 kilomètres, souvent à pied ou avec des moyens de transport sommaires. Jeudi dernier, plus de 400 visiteurs (dont des centaines de touristes étrangers), ont à nouveau été bloqués à cause de servicios ferroviaires endommagées après des demonstrations. Ils ont été evacués samedi. The PeruRail company announced that it suspends its trajectories "vers et depuis le Machu Picchu [...] car les voies étaient bloquées et endommagés à divers endroits", reported CNN.
In a press release, the ministry explains: "The closure of the network of Inca trails (land access, Inca Trail) and the Llaqta (citadel) of Machu Picchu has been ordered due to the social situation and to preserve the integrity of visitors”. Authorities have clarified that tourists in possession of a ticket to visit Machu Picchu on and after January 21 can request a refund up to a month after the protests end, CNN notes.
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