Machu Picchu: French and Swiss tourists thrown out of Inca citadel for taking nude photos
Two European tourists were thrown out of Machu Picchu on Thursday for taking nude photos.
The tourists, one French and the other Swiss, were discovered by the park’s surveillance personnel, CNN en Espanol reports. One was posing naked while the other took a picture of him near the House of the Guardian Inca site.
The tourists were turned in to police who deleted their photographs and detained them for public indecency, according to a post on Policía Nacional del Perú’s (PNP) Twitter account.
Officials have reminded visitors to comply with the visiting regulations and recommendations from security personnel at Machu Picchu.
“The wonder of the world should be respected!” the PNP wrote in its Twitter post.
#7maravillasdelmundo
¡La maravilla del mundo se respeta!🎖️
Un sujeto extranjero quien se desnudó para luego tomarse fotografías en los restos arqueológicos de #Machupicchu en Cusco, fue intervenido por personal de Turismo PNP. #PolicíasEnAcción #Cusco pic.twitter.com/y5ouZe7eUR— Policía Nacional del Perú (@PoliciaPeru) May 4, 2023
Machu Picchu has an ongoing problem with tourists posing nude
This is not the first time Europeans have gotten in trouble for posing naked at the ancient UNESCO World Heritage site.
Peru increased surveillance at Machu Picchu back in 2014 as the practice of streaking at the iconic cultural site became a trend.
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Two tourists from Australia and New Zealand were detained in 2013 for taking photos baring their backsides, which later went viral on Peruvian social media. YouTube videos of tourists streaking with guards in their pursuit also appeared online.
In 2021, a British and French tourist were arrested on the same charges. They were later charged in court with moral misconduct.
Located high in the Andes, the Inca citadel dates back to the 15th-century. Around 1.5 million people visit every year.
It used to be more but the Peruvian government had to limit numbers to around 4,000 a day to protect the site.
There are also a series of rules in place to prevent damage to this world wonder - including a ban on tripods, selfie sticks and backpacks that weigh more than 5kg.