Australia is closing an iconic tourist site... why?

Sacred site: Tourists gather to watch sunset colours on Uluru, also known as Ayers rock, after a permanent ban on climbing the monolith at the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in Australia on Saturday. — AFP

In the hours before climbers were permanently barred from Uluru, the world-famous red sandstone monolith that rises from the heart of Australia, the line to ascend it snaked for hundreds of feet – past a sign posted by its aboriginal owners noting that the site is sacred, and requesting that visitors refrain from climbing it.

The last-minute trekkers weren’t alone in ignoring the request. In the past year, the remote Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park has seen a 20% uptick in visitors, producing a bonanza for the nearby resorts, restaurants and other businesses that profit from one of Australia’s signature tourist sites.