16:00 | Cusco (Cusco region), Jul. 27.
Since April 2022, most visitors to Cusco and its numerous tourist-cultural attractions —led by Machu Picchu and the archaeological sites— have come from abroad,
Cusco's Regional Management of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Gercetur) reported on Wednesday.
After a drop in coronavirus cases, the lifting of restrictions, the reopening of borders, as well as the promotion of health protocols and biosafety measures, Cusco has started to receive more national tourists from Lima, Arequipa, as well as from northern and southern Peru, which was not the case before the pandemic.
Nowadays, the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, Cusco's Historic Center, the Sacred Valley of the Incas —which is home to the archaeological sites of Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, and Moray— as well as other attractions, receive tourists from all over the world.
"Safety conditions enable the tourism sector to grow, but not as much as it did before the COVID-19 pandemic," he explained.
Mendoza underlined that North Americans make up 25% of foreign visitors (65% of the total), followed by Europeans, mainly from France and Italy, as well as Latin Americans from Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, and Chile.
"In general, Peru has never received a high number of Asian tourists, but we do have records of their visits," the Gercetur official remarked.
"When it comes to dealing with the pandemic, they probably have a different ideology about COVID-19," he added.
(END) PHS/MAO/RMB/MVB
Published: 7/27/2022