The Australian attraction pulls in almost 500,000 tourists a year, and until recently, almost half made the arduous hour-long climb up the steep rock.
They would do so holding a hand chain pegged into the stone as they went all the way up to the summit, 1,142 feet above sea level.
But now it is estimated that less than a third of all visitors attempt the climb, thanks largely to the greater sensitivity towards the local Aboriginals, for whom this is a sacred site, the Times says.
Though it is not illegal (as climbing the Pyramids or the Parthenon), local Aboriginals request visitors not to climb the rock because the path crosses a sacred traditional Dreamtime track – meaning that climbing the rock is basically a personal decision to make.
Uluru / Ayers Rock – Visit the Aboriginal sacred site which is Australia”s most visited tourist attraction.