Uluru, the red sandstone rock which lures thousands of tourists to the arid centre of Australia every year, is to close for three weeks after the death of one of its Aboriginal owners.

Politicians and tour operators yesterday appealed to the Australian prime minister to stop the shutdown of the Aboriginal sacred site, formerly known as Ayers Rock, fearing adverse effects on tourism.

Uluru-Kata Tjuta national park officers announced a ban on climbing the largest monolith in the world, 280 miles south-west of Alice Springs, out of respect for the family of Tony Tjamiwa, who died last weekend. Tjamiwa was a key figure in negotiating the return of the rock to his Anangu people in 1985.

The 348-metre climb of Uluru is one of the highlights for its 400,000 annual visitors, although the rock is periodically closed because of high winds or excessive heat. Aborigines would prefer people not to clamber over their sacred site at all.

Although the national park and a six-mile walk around Uluru's base remain open, tour operators condemned the ban, saying it could jeopardise the multimillion-dollar tourist industry focused on the region.

The Northern Territory's chief minister, Denis Burke, called for the immediate reopening of the rock, saying a suitable compromise would be to close the monolith for the day of the funeral.

Tjamiwa was one of the owners of his people's creation story, which explains the role of Uluru. Anangu elders say the route over the rock is sacred as part of the route taken by ancestral wallaby men during their "dream time".