Machu Picchu is the lifeline for tourism in Peru, an important foreign revenue earner for this south American country. According to an eTN source, this lifeline may get cut for weeks to come.

A Small Business owner who relies on travel and tourism in Cuzco said:

Tourism has gone to hell in Cuzco and its economy is punished for the acts of vandalism by some.
eTN reader in Cuzco

A source in Cuzco, Peru told eTurboNews that tourism professionals expect more major problems and the situation is getting worse by the day.

A group of protesters is trying to take over Alejandro Velasco Astete Airport in Cuzco. Cuzco is the gateway to Macchhu Picho.

Cuzco also turned into a second center of protests and unrest after Lima, the capital of Peru.

Machu Picchu is an Incan citadel set high in the Andes Mountains in Peru, above the Urubamba River valley.

Built in the 15th century and later abandoned, it’s renowned for its sophisticated dry-stone walls that fuse huge blocks without the use of mortar, intriguing buildings that play on astronomical alignments, and panoramic views. Its exact former use remains a mystery.

The government said it closed the site, and the Inca trail hike leading up to it, to protect tourists and citizens.

Many people have been killed in weeks of violent protests, which began when Peru’s previous president was ousted.

Rail services to Machu Picchu were suspended on Thursday after train tracks were damaged by protesters.

According to Peruvian tourism minister Luis Fernando Helguero more than 300 visitors are stranded without a way out.

Click here to hear from Peruvian a congresswoman and her view on the ongoing situation (in English)

Just a month ago several hundred tourists were airlifted in civil unrest.

Peru’s culture ministry said that those who had already bought tickets for Macchu Picho would be able to do use them for one month after the end of the demonstrations or get a refund.

Demonstrators demand for the new President, Dina Boluarte, resign and call for new elections. So far the president refused to do so. The protesters want former president Pedro Castillo to be released from jail, saying he is still Peru’s legitimate head of state.