LIMA, Sept 23, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Protesters who blocked access last week to the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu have ended their protest movement after locally-owned companies were granted the right to transport tourists to the site for four months, a Peruvian official said Monday.

"The mobilization has ended. The residents gathered in Lima, where several agreements were reached," Oscar Luque, a representative for the Ombudsman's Office of Peru, told AFP.

A week ago, protesters blocked train tracks to demand their interests be represented in the search for a new bus operator ferrying visitors on the last leg of a trip from the city of Cusco to Machu Picchu in the Peruvian Andes.

More than 1,500 visitors were evacuated amid clashes between protesters and police.

Now, two locally-owned companies will transport visitors to the site "for four months" before open bidding on the bus contract begins, Luque said.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, the ancient, fortified complex is considered a marvel of architecture and engineering, and receives around 4,500 visitors a day, according to the tourism ministry.