Basin
The road problems registered in the province of Azuay from Sunday, February 27 to the morning of this Tuesday, March 1, directly affected the tourist occupation of the province during the holiday. Until last Sunday, the occupation of beds in this town was 50%, but in the following days the percentage went down.
Juan Pablo Vanegas, president of the Azuay Chamber of Tourism, explained that during the carnival holiday, most of the travelers who arrive in the city are from the province of Guayas. But this year this was mainly affected by the poor condition of the main connection route between the two provinces and the constant record of landslides.
Landslides force the closure of the Molleturo-El Empalme route, at km 71
Although the road was partially opened on the morning of Sunday 27, the Ministry of Transport and Public Works (MTOP) limited its circulation between 05:00 and 17:00. To this is added that from this Wednesday, the Cuenca-Molleturo-El Empalme highway, the main connection route between Azuay and Guayas, will be closed for 40 days to stabilize a slope located at kilometer 49.
Despite the road inconvenience, there were areas in the province of Azuay where a greater presence of tourists was recorded. For example, in the cantons near Cuenca, located in the eastern zone such as Gualaceo or Paute, tourists came to enjoy the agenda of free artistic encounters on the banks of the rivers that was prepared by the local authorities.
In Paute, one of the aspects that massively summoned the citizens was the traditional meeting of artists such as Sonora Dinamita, Johnny G., Paola Jara, Joey Montana or Jessy Uribe.
After the carnival holiday, the Cuenca-Molleturo-El Empalme road will be closed for 40 days
Its mayor, Raúl Delgado, affirmed that they achieved their objective of reactivating the economy and culture of the canton thanks to the visit of tourists who came mainly from Cuenca. In this locality, there was occupation of hotels, restaurants and other places.
In Gualaceo, on the other hand, the situation was similar and the visitors turned to the banks of the Santa Bárbara River to play or see the contracted artists. In this canton, a growing economy was also noted even in the smallest turns. For example, the sale of plastic buckets at $0.50 and $1 stood out, as did the sale of carnival foam, plastic to protect cell phones from water, among other items. The tourist movement allowed sellers to have better income thanks to the sale of these products. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
