Eiffel Tower to reopen on Friday as strike ends

A sign announcing the closure of the Eiffel Tower is seen at a closed ticket sales counter as part of a strike by employees over lengthening queues during the peak summer tourist season in Paris, France, August 2, 2018. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

PARIS, France - 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 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).

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 342-meter (1,063-foot) tower, the French capital's most famous attraction. — Reuters