This January 31, the Ministry of Culture of Peru reported that it had reached an agreement with trade associations in Cusco, after a week of protests in reaction to the Government's announcement to privatize the platform that sells entrance tickets to Machu Picchu. A strike that caused serious damage to tourism, but which ended positively for the protesters, in addition to putting the difficulties faced by one of the seven wonders of the world due to overwhelming tourism in the media spotlight.
First modification:
3 min
After a week of desolation and a critical atmosphere in Machu Picchu, union organizations and residents lifted an indefinite strike, after the Peruvian Government awarded a contract to the private company Joinnus to be in charge of the sale of tickets to the archaeological park.
The announcement came after different ministers of the Peruvian Government began a dialogue table with the leaders of the protest in Cusco, where they agreed that the sale of tickets to the Inca city will now be managed by the platform of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM), of a public nature.
“We have this very good news for all of Peru, for the people of Cusco, for our brothers from Machu Picchu, they are giving us the good news that the strike is being lifted, we have to move forward to reactivate our economy,” said the Minister of Culture, Leslie. Urteaga, whose resignation the protesters demanded, after accusing her of favoring Joinnus and starting a monopoly.
For her part, Minister Urteaga defended herself by explaining that the decision was made after having carried out a market study that suggested that tickets should be sold by an external supplier and not by the Ministry of Culture platform, as had happened until now. .
Urteaga said that the Government was unable to disburse any payment to Joinnus, in addition to ensuring that the company “has shown its full intention” to conclude the contract early and without any legal retaliation.
“We are guaranteeing from the Ministry of Culture and from the Regional Government, the continuity of the service, because this requires a process until the platform can already be hosted in the cloud of what is the Secretariat of Digital Government of the PCM, that It is one of the points,” said the minister.
Elvis La Torre, mayor of Machu Picchu, celebrated the decision and said that he is working with local authorities to restart tourist activities so that the economic impact does not affect merchants in the region as much.
📣 Cultural, tourist and commercial activities are resumed in Machupicchu Pueblo ⛰️. Thanks to the sustained dialogue between the Government and the local authorities of Cusco, agreements were reached in defense of our heritage and economic reactivation. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/dnUVjzDwTz
— Ministry of Culture (@MinCulturaPe) January 31, 2024
Millionaire losses after seven days of protests
The situation in Machu Picchu was tense. Several tourists were evacuated from the site and many others were stranded for several days due to the strength of the protests, so much so that even the United States and some European Union countries issued warnings to their citizens in Peru.
The demonstrations led to the closure of businesses and the impact on the hotel sector, recalling a panorama of desolation, similar to that of the restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
A strike that caused between 1,000 and 1,500 daily tickets to Machu Picchu to stop being sold, which would be equivalent to more than one million soles a day, about $260,000, said Tito Alegría, executive director of the National Chamber of Tourism of Peru.
Tourism that concerns local sustainability
It is believed that Machu Picchu was built by the Incas before the 15th century, arousing great fascination as it was considered a work of architecture and engineering, attracting about 4.5 million tourists annually before the pandemic in 2020, according to figures officers.
However, being one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world brings with it different problems, such as the conservation and sustainability of the archaeological park, which recently led the Ministry of Culture to close three sectors due to the wear and tear of their lithic elements.
A tourism that is increasing, after the Ministries of Culture, Foreign Trade and Tourism and the Environment announced the increase in the number of visitors of up to 5,600 people on specific days and 4,500 on a regular basis, while looking for ideas for sustainable tourism.
With local media
#strike #lifted #Machu #Picchu #days #uncertainty #milliondollar #losses