The reopening of the land border of Tacna, from this May 1, allows the reactivation of tourism and the economy in the region, which was seriously damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, pointed out the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur).
In this sense, the Vice Minister of Tourism, Isabel Álvarez, from Tacna, welcomed the decision of the government of President Pedro Castillo and his counterpart from Chile, who made the reopening of the Santa Rosa-Chacalluta border crossing possible.
LOOK: Hernando Cevallos blamed the current administration for the expiration of Covid-19 vaccines
“The pandemic caused serious losses to the population of Tacna, who sustained themselves greatly by the arrival of visitors from the southern country. They were difficult years but the wait is over. The opening is a reality, therefore, I invite visitors from Chile to return to Tacna and marvel at its tourist attractions, gastronomy, commerce and services”, indicated the deputy minister.
He also added that opening the border challenges us to consolidate the region’s tourist attractions, in addition to gastronomy, as highlighted by the first Chilean citizen who entered today to taste Peruvian dishes.
“It is a great responsibility to offer the quality of our gastronomy and crafts. All this has to be valued, through multisectoral work“, said.
It is important to mention that Luis Quesada and Carlos González were the first Chilean citizens who entered our country through the Santa Rosa Border Attention Complex.
Better attention to tourists
As recalled, in 2019, the arrival of Chilean tourists to Peru was 1.2 million. In 2020, the figure rose to 288,000 visitors; and, between January and October 2021, the flow of Chilean tourists was 19,000 who arrived in our country through the Jorge Chávez International Airport.
Due to this, and to recover the pre-pandemic figures, the Mincetur has coordinated actions to provide the best possible attention to tourists, speed up attention at the border and, through activations, encourage the entry of more tourists.
“Prior to the opening of the land border, we held meetings with tourism and trade unions in the region; in addition to workshops and technical assistance to servers and providers of tourist services and artisans; we delivered the Safe Travel Seal to the Tourist Destination Tacna, Valle Viejo – Miculla; among other activities”, he indicated.
Thus, he added, that now with the border crossing open, a campaign is being launched to promote the arrival of visitors to the region called “Cross the border, Start your experience in Tacna”, which will be promoted from the social networks of the institution, where tourist destinations, gastronomy and products with exportable offer from the region will be communicated and promoted.
“It is hard work to come, but we are sure that we will achieve the objectives. An additional fact, according to information received by the Regional Directorate of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Tacna, it is expected that more than 7,000 visitors from Chile will enter the region today. A clear example of the importance of this measure”, he expressed.
