The sightseeingwhich has not yet recovered from the pandemic, is facing a problem that has been dragging on since December due to a series of roadblocks and airports takeover that have involved the death of people. Such a situation has caused that today 90% of the reservations made by foreigners are canceled until May. This was explained by the president of the Peruvian Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (Apavit), Ricardo Acosta.
“The big operators are not considering Peru as a destination for their operations. A very strong crisis is coming for the sector, ”he assured this newspaper.
Ricardo Acosta, who is currently at the Madrid International Tourism Fair (Fitur), warned that the image of Peru has been hit.
“What surprises me and gives me a feeling of concern is the passivity with which the government faces this situation,” he stressed.
NO HOLY WEEK
This bad moment that tourism is going through would last for several months, harming important campaigns.
For example, Acosta advances that companies in the sector already have very little faith in foreign visitors arriving to Holy Week (from April 2 to 8).
“In Holy Week it will be zero what is received if we continue with this situation. What must be understood is that internal tourism does not solve the problems, ”he stressed.
The CEO of Casa Andina, Juan Stoessel, agreed that during the religious festival there will be no receptive tourism, but only national tourism, which is not enough for the recovery of the sector.
“I don’t think there will be tourists from abroad until the middle of the year,” he said, noting that between December and January approximately 300,000 tourists have stopped arriving in Peru as a result of the social conflict.
He also commented that it should be considered that a person who visits the country leaves almost US$1,000 through their spending during their stay, which lasts an average of 10 days.
“The great damage is not what we are losing now, but the image of the country,” he added, lamenting the difficult situation they are experiencing, since it also has an impact on the creation of direct and indirect jobs.
CONFIDENCE
For his part, the Peruvian ambassador to Spain, Oscar Maúrtua de Romaña, who is also in Fitur, considered that this moment “is going to be traced”, for which he asked, in statements to EFE, “have faith and wait”.
He also stated that “all acts of violence are repudiated” and recognized the impact of this on tourism.
