Cuenca extends its tourist options in urban and rural areas for the holiday

Cuenca

The city of the four rivers is ready for the great holiday. Everyone is looking forward to receiving visitors not only because they want the local economy to reactivate, but because they want to show that Cuenca, despite the pandemic, is still just as beautiful. The protests in the country, however, kept the sector waiting, fearing that the plans could be affected.

For these days tourists have interesting options such as tours of the historic center, experiential encounters in rural parishes and of course, taste an exquisite meal.

The climate of the city is cold these weeks, an aspect that from a positive point of view can be taken as something cozy.

The usual thing in the Athens of Ecuador is to walk the streets of the center, visit museums, churches and some restaurants with typical food. In this sense, the “#CuencaEsTuTrip” campaign was activated from the Municipal Tourism Foundation, whose focus is to show a city full of experiences.

Of all the packages, one of those highlighted by the Foundation’s director, María Angélica León, is the Adventure Trip, because in recent times people have turned to rural areas in search of open and new spaces.

Those who like pure air and adventure can hire walks through the sacred hills of the city, such as Pachamama, Guagualzhumi or Las Monjas, which were settlements of Incas and Cañaris. They are not very physically demanding hikes, but they do require some preparation.

While for urban walkers a project called The treasure hunt was created. Participants will find clues in iconic places and other lesser known ones in the city. This game is ideal to participate with friends and family and each challenge involves a playful aspect such as taking a photo or doing something fun. As part of the dynamic, the expedition director will send clues via WhatsApp. The path includes murals, sculptures or landscapes.

According to Juan Pablo Vanegas, president of the Cuenca Chamber of Tourism, this innovation not only refers to recreational issues, but also to gastronomy. Particularly in rural parishes such as San Joaquín, Sayausí or Ricaurte, where the experience is not only eating but also participating in the preparation.

Regarding biosafety measures, María Angélica León warned that thanks to the support of private entrepreneurs, Cuenca was positioned as a biosecure city. The bars, restaurants and nightclubs work with capacity and sanitary control measures.

For this holiday 10,000 beds are available in the different accommodation centers. Juan Pablo Vanegas estimates that for all the attractions and the quality of the service offered in Cuenca, the occupancy will be one hundred percent.

As an additional aspect, the mayor of Cuenca, Pedro Palacios, invited Ecuadorians to come because there are around 330 activities on the agenda of activities. With this it is hoped that the visit is not only two days of the holiday, but all five.

In the neighborhoods there will be free concerts and in the squares, gastronomic fairs, crafts, circuses, etc., this is a very wide agenda of activities.

In Azuay yesterday the evolution of the protests was followed. Hotel reservations at the gates of the holiday are over 80%, but they fear that if there are no agreements between the Protestants and the Government, everything will fall, generating millions of economic losses.

Patricio Miller, former president of the Azuay Chamber of Tourism and director of the Federation of Ecuadorian Chambers of Tourism, explains that an average family invests at least $ 300 during a holiday, a very important figure that is distributed in areas such as accommodation, food, transportation and distraction.

A not inconsiderable amount that helps the economy circulate, but could fall. He is convinced that if the protesters do not resign their positions, everything will get complicated and people will begin to cancel their trips.

Another worrying issue that is the responsibility of the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works is the state of the Cuenca-Molleturo-El Empalme highway, the main connection between Guayas and Azuay.

The constant landslides at more than 20 points, such as kilometer 49, generate problems and anticipated closures. This week the Ministry ordered that the circulation be suspended between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., so before traveling, precaution is requested and to verify the state of the road on the Ministry’s social networks. (I)

Tourism sector asked for an urgent solution to protests to avoid damage on the holiday

Holbach Muñeton, president of the National Federation of Provincial Chambers of Tourism of Ecuador, says that the protests of 2019 already left heavy losses for the sector and if these new demonstrations continue, there will be another negative impact.

For this reason, the leader asked yesterday for an urgent solution to protests to avoid affecting the holiday, “what this uncertainty does is that people do not want to go out on a holiday if they see that there are road closures, this affects us. The first day of mobilization we lowered our reserves by 10% ”, he points out.

To take into account

-It is recommended to use warm clothing, Cuenca is going through a winter stage with temperatures averaging 12 degrees Celsius. There is sun in the morning and rain in the afternoon.

-To know the state of the road, it is recommended to check the social networks of the Ministry of Transport and Public Works.

-The price of the urban bus ticket is 30 cents, payment is made only with a prepaid digital card.

-To use the Tram, travelers and tourists must pay one dollar. The ticket is bought at the different stations.

– In Cuenca the taxi fare is defined by the meter. The minimum race in the morning is $ 1.40 and at night $ 1.70. Any anomaly must be reported to the telephone number 157 of the Mobility Company, do not forget to take the data of the unit.