Without tourists, Machu Picchu in "freefall" as riots rock Peru

In front of the archaeological site of Ollantaytambo, the “Inca” regrets seeing the empty gateway to Machu Picchu. Violent riots rocking Peru since December have scared off tourists, leaving communities that depend on this popular destination uprooted.

“Look, there is nothing, it is empty”, emphasizes the “Inca” Juan Pablo Huanacchini Mamani, 48, who works with tourists dressed in a suit of colorful fabrics, sandals and golden ornaments that shines in the sun.

The Andean country’s economy is based largely on tourism, an important source of employment that attracted some 4.5 million visitors before the pandemic.

But in a matter of weeks the situation has changed in Ollantaytambo, about 60 km from Cuzco, the Inca and tourist capital of the country, where some 4,000 visitors arrived daily during the high season to see Machu Picchu.

Since December 7, Peru has been rocked by protests that have left 48 dead. Protesters call for the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, who assumed power after the dismissal and arrest of the leftist president Pedro Castillo on December 7 for having tried to dissolve Parliament.

Amid the protests, now barely a hundred come on weekendsthe only two days allowed by the protesters, a concession so that the inhabitants can survive.

“We live from tourism (…) Now we are in a shortage of people. When there is tourism, all our people work through hotels, through restaurants, agriculture moves”, narrates the “Inca”.

Today, he says, they are in a “tremendous crisis.”

The crisis is costing the country 25 million soles per day (about 6.5 million dollars)with an 83% drop in hotel occupancy, according to figures from the Ministry of Tourism.

Abel Alberto Matto Leiva, regional director of tourism, explains that in Cuzco “75% of the population works directly or indirectly with tourism, 900 tour guides, 5,000 porters” during the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

It is “a chain”, he stresses, which includes “2,500 travel agencies”, food, accommodation, transportation.

So far, heThe situation has left some 20,000 unemployed “and they keep adding”, with projections of about 120,000 for March, he adds.

Hotels, restaurants, shops… the panorama in the Inca capital is almost deserted, as many have chosen not to open to cut costs.

“We are in free fall and we don’t know when it will stop,” considers Henry Yabar, vice president of the Cuzco hotel chamber, which has also closed its establishment, a three-star hotel with some 15 rooms.

“We have around 250 people in Cuzco, when in good season we can have 10,000″, Explain.

For Yabar, the political crisis has dealt a “fatal” blow: “We are talking about 95% cancellations” and of the 12,000 hotels and lodgings in Cuzco “between 25 and 30% (the smallest) have already gone bankrupt.”

He hopes that the State will launch a “lifeline”, an emergency plan, a suspension of the payment of loans contracted during the pandemic and tax deferrals. “We are hopeful of an improvement in July” for “those who survive.”

In the craft markets, most of the stalls are still closed. “I haven’t sold a sol,” says Filomena Quispe, 67, 35 of them selling handicrafts, as she weaves in her small shop near Cuzco’s Plaza de Armas.

Surrounded by hats, the woman dressed in a multicolored Andean ruana waits for customers who do not arrive. “What’s left for us? Close our stall and go,” she wails, barely surviving on her meager savings.

In the midst of the crisis, some 14,000 local artisans should see their opportunities drastically reduced, according to the authorities, who also account for thousands of merchants with little or no income.

“We don’t even sell to eat” and they don’t get “no help at all” either. They feel “absolutely forgotten,” says Filomena, as tears stream down her wrinkled face.

The few tourists who do make it to Ollantaytambo console themselves with the ironic situation.

Sandeep Cliff, a London doctor, found the visit “fantastic, albeit empty.” “There’s absolutely no one around besides us,” he says.

Seeking to fulfill a “lifelong dream” Cliff flew to Peru. A week ago they told him that Machu Picchu was “closed”.

“You feel sorry for these guys, they are trying to sell their souvenirs. Nobody is available. It’s a shame,” he confesses, as he is also aware of popular discontent in Peru.

“We have to respect that these people are protesting for a reason. (…) maybe it’s not ideal for us that it messed up our vacation a bit, but they have a reason, and we have to respect that.”