What's going on at Machu Picchu?

Hundreds of tourists were stranded this weekend near Machu Picchu, Peru's most visited site, after protesters blocked train and bus routes to the site and closed local shops and restaurants in Aguas Calientes, the region's gateway to Machu Picchu Cuzco of the country. . Some visitors posted videos on social media pleading for help. Police evacuated about 700 tourists on Saturday. Many left without seeing the site.

Protesters had taken to the streets on Thursday to demand that the government revoke a contract allowing a company to sell tickets to Machu Picchu for the first time. Tickets were previously sold through the culture office in Cusco, which is controlled by the regional government.

Protesters on Tuesday agreed to a 24-hour “truce” to participate in talks with government officials. While Machu Picchu is officially open, train services to Aguas Calientes and buses taking tourists to the citadel remain suspended. The U.S. Embassy advised travelers who wish to reach the location by other means to ensure they bring enough food and any medications.

Machu Picchu, believed to be a 15th-century retreat for Inca royalty, received some 2.2 million visitors last year, below the pre-pandemic level of 4.6 million. Peru is trying to encourage tourists to visit other ancient sites partly to prevent overcrowding, which UNESCO has warned could damage parts of the structure.

Who is protesting and why are they angry?

Protesters include tour operators, guides, activists and residents of the Cusco region. They are against a private company profiting from the sale of tickets to Machu Picchu and claim that the company, Joinnus, an events marketing platform, was chosen last year to manage sales through a corrupt deal with Culture Secretary Leslie Urteaga, which she denies.

Elvis La Torre, the mayor of Aguas Calientes, said the government has not consulted local authorities or residents about the new online system.

Distrust of President Dina Boluarte's government runs deep in Cuzco, a strongly indigenous region with numerous pre-Columbian ruins. Ms. Boluarte took office at the end of 2022, after her predecessor deposed and arrested after attempting to dissolve the Peruvian Congress, This led to widespread nationwide protests, to which she responded with a crackdown that killed 49 civilians, mostly in indigenous regions.

What is the government trying to do?

The government says the new ticket system aims to make sales more transparent. It claims that 'mafias' linked to the Cusco regional government are diverting some of the tickets to sell them on the black market, depriving the public coffers of revenue and making it more difficult to estimate the true number of visitors to the site to measure.

The government is also trying to implement a 'dynamic' system where the daily visitor limit changes throughout the year.

The company that transports tourists to Machu Picchu routinely reports higher numbers of tourists per day than official ticket sales, according to the congressional tourism committee. The national audit office found that in 2021 and 2022, 70,000 to 80,000 visitors to Machu Picchu had not been counted by the regional culture office, meaning a loss of about $2 million per year.

Where do the negotiations stand now?

Protesters want the Minister of Culture to resign and the contract with Joinnus to be terminated. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Culture announced it would move the new ticketing system to a platform managed by the central government, with input from the Cusco regional government.

Ms Urteaga said it would take “a cautious period” to transition to a new state-run system. “We cannot return to the previous system,” she further said X, formerly Twitter. We must have a safe, transparent and objective platform.”

Joinnus said it would agree to terminate the contract early.

Mr. La Torre, the mayor, proposed updating the regional government's online platform for ticket sales to ensure transparency. “We will agree to the modernization of the Ministry of Culture's sales system,” he said in a speech video posted onlinebut only if the process was 'transparent' and 'communicated with stakeholders'.

It was not clear whether demonstrators would resume their protest after the ceasefire ended at midnight on Tuesday.

Hasn't this happened before?

Peru is rife with social conflict, and it is not uncommon for residents of rural areas to block roads to draw media attention to their demands and pressure authorities to negotiate.

Over the past decade, protesters have blocked rail access to Machu Picchu several times as part of efforts to secure higher salaries for teachers and health workers, lower rates for rail services or aid for farmers during an acute fertilizer shortage.

In late 2022 and early last year, tourism in much of southern Peru, including Machu Picchu, halted for several weeks due to political unrest after Ms Boluarte came to power.

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