Od 1. dubna by Machu Picchu mělo být opět otevřeno.
Jen doufám, že to není aprílový žertík.
Zprávu, že slavná památka Machu Picchu bude v dubnu opět otevřena, přinesla agentura AFP. V rozhovoru s jejími reportéry to již v únoru řekl peruánský ministr turismu Martin Perez. V opravě železniční trati, která na mnoha místech musela být zcela obnovena, prý byly udělány velké pokroky.
Vláda si uvědomuje, že turismus je pro Peru velmi důležitý a zvlášť pro oblast Cuzco. V samotném městě je na turistickém průmyslu závislých 175 000 obyvatel. Příjmy z turistiky tvoří 0,64 % HDP Peru. Železniční trať, která je nejdůležitější přístupovou trasou do oblasti, po vydatných lijácích v lednu těžce poškodily sesuvy půdy a rozvodněná řeka Urubamba.
Peruánský ministr dopravy Enrique Cornejo pak 12. března na tiskové konferenci prohlásil, že vlaky z Cuzca do nejslavnější turistické oblasti v zemi nebudou jezdit nejméně do června. Poslední úsek, dlouhý 28 kilometrů, však bude zprovozněn na konci měsíce března. Tato část železnice je pro přístup k někdejší incké pevnosti klíčová. Turisté pojedou autobusem z Cuzca do asi 70 kilometrů vzdáleného inckého města Ollantaytambo. Odtud pak k Machu Picchu budou pokračovat vlakem.
Kombinovaná doprava si prý nevyžádá o mnoho více času než původní cesta vlakem. Ta trvala tři a půl hodiny. Zajímavé je, že cestovka Firo-tour měla kombinovanou trasu v programu již předtím.
22.3.2010
Machu Picchu to reopen March 29: official
(AFP) – Mar 12, 2010
LIMA — Peru's main tourist attraction Machu Picchu, one of the world's most prized heritage sites, will reopen March 29 after heavy rains cut off the ancient citadel earlier this year, a senior official said Friday.
Transport Minister Enrique Cornejo said the opening had been planned for April 1, but that the railway line to the remote Inca site that had been washed out by torrential rains has been partially restored.
"A few days earlier than we said, tourists can take a bus from Cusco to Ollataytambo and board the train to Machu Picchu," Cornejo told lawmakers.
The 15th-century city perched around 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) above sea level is the most visited site in South America, a pillar of the Cusco region and the source of 90 percent of Peru's tourist revenues, according to the country's finance ministry.
The railway was damaged in hundreds of places by flooding and landslides prompted by the rains that hit the country in late January.
Thousands of stranded foreign tourists were evacuated from the small village of Aguas Calientes, the gateway to Machu Picchu, threatened by rising waters from the Vilcanota river.
The Tourism Observatory had warned that Peru stood to lose up to 0.64 percent of GDP if tourism declined, with particularly serious repercussions for Cusco, where some 175,000 people make a living in the industry.
More than 2,000 tourists from all over the world visit Machu Picchu every day, tourism ministry officials said.
Cornejo said the rail link between Cusco and Machu Picchu would be fully restored by July at the latest.
Machu Picchu open in April
Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:06
Peru's main tourist attraction Machu Picchu, one of the world's most prized heritage sites, will reopen in April after heavy rains cut off the ancient citadel earlier this month, Tourism Minister Martin Perez said Tuesday.
"We hope from April 1 to begin to receive the millions of tourists that have always come" to visit the site, Perez told reporters here.
Progress was being made to rebuild the railway link to the remote Inca site, Perez stressed, after torrential rains swept away parts of the track.
The 15th century city perched around 2500 meters above sea level is the most visited site in Latin America, a pillar of the Cusco region and the source of 90 percent of Peru's tourist revenues, according to the country's finance ministry.
The railway was damaged in hundreds of places by flooding and landslides prompted by the rains that hit the country in late January.
The Tourism Observatory has warned that Peru stands to lose up to 0.64 percent of GDP if tourism declines, with particularly serious repercussions for Cusco, where some 175 000 people make a living in the tourism industry.
Thousands of stranded foreign tourists were evacuated from the small village of Aguas Calientes, the gateway to Machu Picchu, threatened by rising waters from the Vilcanota river.
AFP