Eiffel Tower closed after workers strike over ticketing changes

Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The Eiffel Tower in Paris shut down on Wednesday afternoon after workers went on strike over ticketing changes.

The official Eiffel Tower Twitter account said the strike began at 4 p.m. and instructed visitors who had already purchased tickets to check their email accounts for further instruction.

"We are truly sorry for the inconvenience," the account wrote.

Gail Boisclair, a Condé Nast Traveler specialist and the owner and founder of the Perfectly Paris apartment rental service, said the strike began in response to a new access policy that resulted in long lines for tours of the tower.

The Eiffel Tower has two elevators, one for people who arrive without reservations and another for those who purchased their tickets in advance. In July, management increased the number of tickets available for advanced booking from 20 percent to 50 percent.

"The workers don't understand why, in non-peak hours, the people in the line without pre-booked tickets cannot use the lift for the people with a reserved time slot, since it will sometimes be going up only partially full while there is still a huge queue at the other lift," Boisclair said.

The strike was officially scheduled for Thursday, but may continue until the issue is resolved.

"It's possible the tower will stay closed for a longer period of time," Boisclair said.