Apparently, for Peru it will be increasingly difficult to recover the 4.5 million foreign visitors that he received in 2019, and that is that, as a result of the violent protests registered in recent weeks, at least 16 countries have alerted about the situation in Peru and have recommended their citizens not to come to our territory for now.
On January 19, the Brazilian Embassy in Peru issued a statement in which, among other statements, it strongly recommends “postponing travel plans within Peruvian territory, taking into account the risks.”
Days before, on the 12th of the same month, the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs also suggested to its compatriots who were planning to visit our country, “if possible, postpone” their entry “until the situation normalizes.” Something similar has been recommended by Russia and Portugal. For its part, since November 2022, Italy is advising its compatriots to postpone or cancel travel. This month he did it again.
These countries, as well as the United States, France, Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain, Canada, Australia, Israel, the United Kingdom, have warned their citizens who are in Peru to avoid being in conflict zones.
In addition, they are constantly publishing statements to summarize what is happening and providing information on the telephone numbers to which they can call if they need support.
Belgium and Germany, for their part, have shared in their networks opinions of the European Union on the situation in Peru and rejecting any type of violence.
The general manager of the National Chamber of Tourism (Canatur), Carlos Loayza, stated that this situation “undoubtedly affects the willingness of foreign tourists to come to the country, compared to other countries that do not have these recommendations.”
“We must all strive to recover social peace, because without social peace there can be no tourism anywhere in the world and that transcends the recommendation that can be made,” he stressed.
From ComexPerú they pointed out that “the image of the country as a tourist destination is seriously affected and tourism in the southern regions is practically nil.” “Who are the affected? Lodgings, artisans, travel agencies, guides, transporters, services and related businesses”, he highlighted.
He also indicated that the data from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism reveal that there are 4,500 lodging establishments in Cusco, Puno and Arequipa, coincidentally the most affected regions.
MACHU PICCHU CLOSURE
In Cusco, where there are some 400 tourists stranded, the Decentralized Directorate of Culture announced the indefinite suspension of the entry of people to Machu Picchu.
“Faced with the current social situation in which our region and the country find themselves, the closure of the Inka Road Network and the Llaqta of Machu Picchu has been ordered from January 21, 2023 until further notice, to safeguard security of tourists and the population in general,” he said.
DATA
According to ComexPerú, between Cusco, Puno and Arequipa there are 2,900 travel agencies “that today have practically no income.”
The Hotel Society of Peru has reported that only 20% of the rooms are occupied throughout the country.
