The Eiffel Tower closed to tourists on Wednesday afternoon after workers went on strike against management's decision to change the ticketing process, which resulted in long lines. File Photo by David Silpa/UPI | License Photo

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 Cond√© 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.</s>Eiffel Tower workers have gone on strike over the Paris monument’s new visitor access policy, which they say is responsible for inordinately long queues.

Eiffel Tower workers have gone on strike over the Paris monument’s new visitor access policy, which they say is responsible for inordinately long queues.

The website of the French landmark confirmed the strike on Wednesday afternoon, but did not specify how long it would last.

Since last month, the Eiffel Tower has been allowing half of its tickets to be booked in advance for scheduled entry times.

Previously, pre-booked tickets accounted for around one-fifth of the entries.

Unions that represent the tower’s 300 employees have complained that the different ticketholders are being allocated separate lifts, saying this has created “monstrous” waiting times.

The Eiffel Tower had more than six million visitors last year but has been beset by multiple strikes and security issues in recent years.</s>Eiffel Tower shuts down as employees strike over ticket plan

PARIS (AP) — Eiffel Tower workers have gone on strike over the Paris monument's new visitor access policy, which they say is responsible for inordinately long queues.

The website of the French landmark confirmed the strike Wednesday afternoon, but didn't specify how long it would last.

Since last month, the Eiffel Tower has been allowing half of its tickets to be booked in advance for scheduled entry times. Previously, pre-booked tickets accounted for around one-fifth of the entries.

Unions that represent the tower's some 300 employees have complained that the different ticketholders are being allocated separate elevators, saying this has created "monstrous" waiting times.

The Eiffel Tower had over six million visitors last year but has been beset by multiple strikes and security issues in recent years.</s>Eiffel Tower workers have gone on strike over the Paris monument’s new visitor access policy, which they say is responsible for inordinately long queues.

The website of the French landmark confirmed the strike on Wednesday afternoon, but did not specify how long it would last.

Since last month, the Eiffel Tower has been allowing half of its tickets to be booked in advance for scheduled entry times.</s>Children cool off at the fountain of Warsaw near Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, Wednesday, Aug, 1, 2018. Temperatures in Paris are forecast to reach 3O degrees C (86 F) on Wednesday.

People cool off as they walk along the fountain of Warsaw near Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, Wednesday, Aug, 1, 2018. Temperatures in Paris are forecast to reach 3O degrees C (86 F) on Wednesday.

PARIS (AP) — Eiffel Tower workers have gone on strike over the Paris monument's new visitor access policy, which they say is responsible for inordinately long queues.

The website of the French landmark confirmed the strike Wednesday afternoon, but didn't specify how long it would last.

Since last month, the Eiffel Tower has been allowing half of its tickets to be booked in advance for scheduled entry times. Previously, pre-booked tickets accounted for around one-fifth of the entries.

Unions that represent the tower's some 300 employees have complained that the different ticketholders are being allocated separate elevators, saying this has created "monstrous" waiting times.

The Eiffel Tower had over six million visitors last year but has been beset by multiple strikes and security issues in recent years.</s>PARIS – Staff at the Eiffel Tower walked out on strike on Wednesday in a dispute over lengthening queues at the Paris landmark, forcing it to close during the peak summer tourist season.

Talks between the CGT trade union and the tower’s management over a new access system – which according to workers was responsible for “monstrous” lines of visitors – reached deadlock on Wednesday afternoon and the site closed at 4 pm (1400 GMT).

It was not clear whether the strike would continue on Thursday.

The new system, which from July has reserved separate lifts for different types of ticket-holders, was exhausting staff who had to deal with the frustrated tourists, union officials said.

The site’s management has said the summer months were always busy.

Each year over six million tourists go up the 1,063-foot tower, the French capital’s most famous attraction.</s>The Eiffel Tower in Paris - closed since Wednesday afternoon due to a strike - will reopen to visitors on Friday, management and unions said on Thursday.

[PARIS] The Eiffel Tower in Paris - closed since Wednesday afternoon due to a strike - will reopen to visitors on Friday, management and unions said on Thursday.

The attraction was closed over a dispute about a new access policy which workers said had caused unacceptably long queues.</s>PARIS — Eiffel Tower workers have gone on strike over the Paris monument’s new visitor access policy, which they say is responsible for inordinately long queues.

The website of the French landmark confirmed the strike Wednesday afternoon, but didn’t specify how long it would last.

Since last month, the Eiffel Tower has been allowing half of its tickets to be booked in advance for scheduled entry times. Previously, pre-booked tickets accounted for around one-fifth of the entries.

Unions that represent the tower’s some 300 employees have complained that the different ticketholders are being allocated separate elevators, saying this has created “monstrous” waiting times.

The Eiffel Tower had over six million visitors last year but has been beset by multiple strikes and security issues in recent years.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>PARIS (Reuters) - Staff at the Eiffel Tower agreed to end their strike on Thursday evening, a union official said, meaning the monument will reopen on Friday.

The tower - Paris’s most famous tourist attraction - closed on Wednesday afternoon in a dispute over a new access system that workers said had caused “monstrous” queues.

Each year over 6 million visitors go up the 342-metre (1,063-foot) tower in the French capital.</s>The Eiffel Tower will reopen Friday morning at 9am local time, officials said late Thursday, after the iconic tourist attraction turned away visitors for a second day while workers continued a strike over long queues.

The iconic monument has been closed since Wednesday afternoon as unions argued with management over the lopsided lines stemming from a decision to reserve certain elevators for visitors with pre-booked tickets while those who buy them upon arrival languish in long queues.

Workers say the changes have resulted in uneven lines, some of which can extend to three hours for those waiting to buy tickets. Even internet customers who are supposed to have reserved time slots can wait for up to an hour.

The tower now also sets aside half of all daily tickets for internet customers, up from just 20 percent previously.

Staff want more flexibility in managing the thousands who arrive each day hoping to reach the top of the "Iron Lady" during the peak summer tourist season.

The tower's operator insists that lines haven't gotten any worse than before, even as visitor numbers have risen to more than 6.2 million tickets sold last year.

Many of the tourists showing up Thursday morning had no idea that the strike had halted visits, with signs saying only that the monument was closed.

"I'm annoyed, I'm not going to lie," said Robin Frye of Birmingham, England, who was visiting Paris for the first time.

"It's going to throw off our whole trip if I'm honest," she said.

"We got up at 6am and were among the first people here, but it's closed," said Adele Liliane, who arrived this week from Montreal, Canada.

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Negotiations resumed Thursday after workers held a general assembly in the morning to discuss a proposal offered by the site's operator SETE, which is majority owned by the city of Paris.

"The SETE is well aware of the disappointment for visitors because of the monument's closure, and its negative impact on the image of both the city and country," the company said in a statement.

"It offers its apologies to everyone – Parisians and French as well as foreign tourists."

The tower's 300-strong staff has staged strikes repeatedly in recent years over issues including pickpocketing and maintenance work.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris shuts down after workers go on a strike over ticketing changes.