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Peru’s post-pandemic recovery will take longer than expected because of the violent political protests that started in December. As the protests continue, the country’s competitiveness as a tourist destination is at risk if the political situation isn’t resolved and images of unrest and chaos stay in the international spotlight.
The year 2023 has started badly in Peru. Up to 60% of bookings for the first part of the year have been canceled since the protests began in December, according to Reuters. The train service to Machu Picchu, the country’s top tourist attraction, has been closed several times due to protests. On January 4, thousands of protesters marched through Lima, the capital of Peru.
The South American country is grappling with a destructive political crisis. On December 7, leftist President Pedro Castillo was impeached and arrested after attempting to dissolve the country’s national legislature and identify an emergency government. Castillo’s vice president, Dina Boluarte, was sworn in as the new president on the same day.
In the following week, large-scale violent demonstrations over Castillo’s removal broke out across the country, with protesters demanding new general elections, Boluarte’s resignation, Castillo’s release or Congress’s dissolution. Protestors blocked transportation networks and staged attacks on police stations, courthouses, factories and airports, according to the New York Times. The protests have resulted in 28 deaths and more than 600 injuries, according to infobae, which provides news centered on Latin America.
On December 14, the defense minister declared a nationwide state of emergency for 30 days, limiting some civil liberties like the right to assemble. Despite the declaration, protests continued to block roads, bridges and railways in many parts of the country. Five airports had to be temporarily closed due to the protestors.
The protests have disrupted daily life and the tourism sector, said Eduardo Nycander, founder of Rainforest Expeditions, which has been offering tours and hotels in Peru for more than 30 years. The disruptions have caused about 1. 8 million people across the country to come to a standstill. their tourism activities, operations or plans, according to the National Chamber of Tourism of Peru.
A vlogger posted a viral video on TikTok on December 18 from his vacation in Peru. His video has been viewed more than 11 million times.
I didn’t need to make this video, however, with the protest in Peru, it has become unsafe for tourists to be in Peru, here is my story on what it’s like to travel to Peru right now. Peru has been put in a state of emergency for 30 days, so please don’t stop until it’s safe. #peru #peru #backpack #backpacking ##tales #horrortale #horrortale #peruprotests #life #tips #southamerica #southamerica
The United States, one of the most sensitive inbound markets for Peru, has pleaded with its citizens to reconsider the country due to crime and to exercise greater caution due to civil unrest.
The unrest hits Peru as its tourism sector tries to make a comeback from the pandemic. The number of international arrivals to the country dropped from 5.3 million in 2019 to 1.1 million in 2020, according to the World Bank. International tourist expenditures dropped from $1.5 billion in 2019 to $938 million in 2020.
The pandemic has especially devastated small tourism businesses, many of which were eligible for government grants, according to Nycander. The little ones are dead forever,” he said. They couldn’t stand two years of Covid. “
Adding more pain to the industry, protesters have targeted tourist hotspots to win international attention and undermine the government. One incident that made international headlines was the stranding of 300 American, European and Peruvian visitors at a town near Machu Picchu, Peru’s most popular tourist attraction, on December 16 after protests caused the closure of the local train line and roads. The tourists were evacuated by the government a few days later.
“Something like this can be very painful for tourism. This law opposes tourism because tourism reaches out to foreigners and it’s the way to get attention,” Nycander said. Global media outlets BBC, CNN, The Guardian, NBC News, USA Today, and Fox News have covered the Machu Picchu scenario, keeping it on the minds of millions.
The Machu Picchu incident made would-be tourists nervous enough to cancel their reservations. Some canceled because their itinerary would be ruined without the attraction. come with Machu Picchu on your itinerary,” said Kelly Torrens, vice president of product for Kensington Tours.
The December protests cost Peru about $450 million in tourism revenue, the director of Peru’s National Chamber of Tourism, Tito Alegría, said on Radio Programas del Perú.
Large-scale civil disobedience is not new in Peru, but what has made this recent wave more impactful is the violence and media attention that has resulted, according to Torrens. “Peru, as a country, reports a lot of movements and disturbances every year. that don’t make the headlines,” he said.
While the violence has dissipated but the civil unrest and the media attention has not. Heading into 2023, the worry is that the images of Peru’s civil unrest will stay in the international media spotlight, said Torrens. The protesters could very well repeat another incident like they did with Machu Picchu to get attention.Peru’s tourism officials told Reuters they will work with tour operators to restore tourist interest.
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Tags: latin america, covid-19, coronavirus recovery, machu picchu, peru, south america
Photo credit: Civil unrest in Peru hampers the country’s recovery. Louis Hansel / Unsplash
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