Description
The government's decision to centralize and outsource sales of Machu Picchu entry tickets to a private ticketing platform caused a week of protests, as tour guides and others allegedly selling "black-market" tickets fear of losing business. Cuzco Unions also joined in, seeing this as an encroaching privatization issue as the private platform, Joinnus, is already managing ticketing at two other archaeological sites. Protesters blocked rail lines and thus tourist access to the famous, and heavily-visited, site until the government, who argued that the decision was just an attempt to combat overtourism at the site, decided to reverse its decision or to delay it according to other sources. It will be interesting to see if overtourism will lead to/be used as an excuse for/ ticketing privatization in other countries.
Location
Macchu Picchu