Cusco is the tourist destination par excellence at a national level. Millions of national and foreign visitors come to the Imperial City year after year to discover all its attractions and its cultural legacy.
However, the greater the number of tourists, the greater the number of scams, according to statements by PNP Commander Hanner Horna, head of the Tourism Commission, who pointed out that the complaints made by visitors range from theft, fraud, and even assault.
According to data from the authorities, an average of 20 tourists come to the Tourism Police Station per month to report the crimes committed against them, which means that there are complaints almost daily, Not counting the huge number of thefts and scams that are no longer reported. because visitors have to return to their countries of origin.
“In the case of scams, whether from informal agencies or natural persons, we manage to locate (those responsible) and we bring them (to the Tourism Police); firstly so that they can compensate for the damage without prejudice to the complaint before the Public Prosecutor’s Office”, the police chief told the Qosqo Times.
He also mentioned that most of the complaints, About 60% are due to theft and robbery, while 30% are due to fraud. or failure to comply with the services offered, and a smaller percentage for sexual and other crimes.
The police chief also mentioned that, together with other institutions, they fight on the issue of preventing the commission of crimes, However, the large number of informal businesses in Cusco in the tourism sector, would make it difficult to control the situation.
Only in the area around the Plaza Mayor of Cusco, the authorities have counted more than 200 tourist agencies, most of them informal, that offer all kinds of services and products to visitors, the same ones that are sometimes not fulfilled or are fulfilled only halfway.
This is why tourism authorities are asking visitors contact formal agencies and operators, and that they can review their data and formality before hiring their services.
