“Would anyone dare to come to a country where they are killing?” asks Jorge Valderrama, former president of the Arequipa Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (AVIT). The businessman refers that due to the prolonged uncertainty that the country has been experiencing since December 2022, 80% of the travel reservation was canceled, affecting the entire production chain: guides, drivers, cooks, vendors, etc.
An industry such as tourism that lives on image, will take years to recover -Valderrama estimates- at least by 2025 or 2026. Packages are sold a year in advance and under the current situation, it will be difficult to promote Peru as a destination for the 2024.
The former president of AVIT reports that the daily losses to the tourism sector in Arequipa reach 5 million soles per day, but their indirect impact is doubled. “It is no longer a country in protest but in conflict,” he says.
The city’s tourist attractions feel the effect. For example in the Monastery of Santa Catalina. Its coordinator of visits, Patricia Obando, reports that the influx has been reduced by 80%, especially foreign tourists. “(Foreign tourists) don’t have many guarantees because they can get stranded on highways or airports,” she adds Obando.
The monastery official maintains that the breaking point was on December 7, with the self-coup of former president Pedro Castillo. She reports that despite the climate of instability they have not closed the service, although they did reduce their hours a few times.
decline and suspension
The decline in influx is repeated in other tourist sites in Arequipa. Administrative staff from different museums in Cercado estimate that visits dropped by 30 to 40%.
Farthest attractions
such as the Sillar Route of the Añashuayco quarries also decreased by 30% since December. The entrance to the road that leads to the ignimbrite deposit once again became a blockade zone since last Wednesday. For security reasons, since Wednesday of last week his administration decided to suspend visits.
The member of the Ruta del Sillar, Haydé Canchillo, reports that under the current scenario, they will not be able to reach the visitor projections they had for December and January. These incomes were going to cover the operating expenses of February and March, usually with little influx.
Affected tourism in Tacna
A few days ago, the president of the Tacna Regional Chamber of Tourism, Wilfredo Espinoza, pointed out that the tourism sector no longer receives S/ 1,500,000 per day from demonstrations.
“I hope that at least 3,000 to 4,000 people per day have entered over the weekend, we are concerned and hope that the reactivation will help us lift our economy, which is badly hit in the region,” he estimated.
Source: Larepublica
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
