Tourism in Peru - Case Study Example

TOURISM IN PERU. INTRODUCTION. In this particular case we are going to concentrate on tourism in Peru within its widely known tourist cities such as Cusco and in particular Machu Pichu .In Peru tourism is a symbol of national pride, despite the fact that Cuzco is Peru’s capital it is also one of the world’s major tourist attractions, foreign tourists have continuously been flocking there due to the discovery of the “lost city” sometimes back in 1911. This flocking has been deliberated by the fact that Cuzco is the capital city of Tawantisuyu, which is also the main gateway to Machu Pichu. There is also the initiative of Incanismo that evolved into a marketable commodity. TOURISM IN PERU. Peru is unique when compared to the 20 Latin American countries, this is due to the fact that it ranks 9th among the 20 Latin American nations with an approximated per capita income of around US$1690 but surprisingly it is in the same economic league with some of the poorest countries in its continent, this is mainly attributed to lack of exploitation of its vast mineral resources and paying less concern to world class manufacturing facilities within their industries, this makes the country somehow over reliant on tourism and it is this over reliance that has made it attract people from different places of the world due to the government incentives offered within this particular tourism industry. NATURAL ENVIRONMENT. Machu Pichu physical setting is indeed exceptional, it is nested in the Andean valley in Southern Peru at an altitude of 2430 meters above the sea, it is also alongside Cuzco which borders Bolivian cities such as the Potosi and La Paz, that has made it one of the world’s largest cities. Machu Pichu has been built with the classical Inca style, consisting of polished dry walled stones, its primary buildings consists of the Room of the three windows, Intihuatana and the temple of the sun which are all located at the sacred district of Machu Pichu. Machu Pichu was declared a world heritage site due to its unique masterpiece of architecture and the living testimony to the Inca civilization. Within Machu Pichu, there is an area of approximately 326 square kilometers that had been declared a historical sanctuary of the Peruvian area, this includes a region adjacent to it which is also very rich in flora and fauna. It is only recently in the year 2007, when Machu Pichu was voted among the new seven wonders of the world and also just in 2008, when the worlds monument fund placed Machu Pichu on its watch list of world’s top 100 most endangered sites due to environmental degradation occurring as a result of tourism impact, uncontrolled developments in nearby towns and a construction of a bridge across Vilcanota river that links two cities which is likely to even bring more tourists. MACHU PICHU SOCIETY. Machu Pichu’s society is a multicultural one, there are quite a number of events that has led to the arrivals of immigrants in the region, there is Incanismo and Tourism. Tourism started way back in the 1911 after much publicity by the National Geographic Magazine when a University of Yale led expedition team had just visited the area, and it was not then until the 1960s’ when young and long term low budget tourists began to flock in the Peruvian capital as leisure seekers and private explorers. Hundreds of tourists continued arriving there via the daily flights & the train service and the numbers soared till a record high of 144,000 people in 1986 alone with slightly over sixty percent of them being foreign tourists. These groups of immigrants who are being believed to have intermarried and created an intermixed culture within Peru, this has created cultural diversity in the area since there are people from different places across the globe but mostly notable from Europe and North America countries. PROMOTION. The Inca’s started to build Machu Pichu around 1430 A.D, but they later on abandoned it as, it was only known within the country and it attracted international attention only in 1911 thanks to Hiram Bingham who was an American historian. Since then it has managed to rise as one of the world’s most important tourist destination Going by the fact that Machu Pichu is situated on a mountain ridge just above a valley known as Urumba situated in Peru, which is also some 80 km Northwest of Cuzco and also where the Urubamba river flows in between, Machu Pichu has become one of the most notable symbols of the Inca empire. It also somehow sits in a saddle between two mountains with a very commanding view between the two valleys. Water supply from the area is from two well known springs that are nearly impossible to block and the land being arable it has the potential of growing food for as many as four people who live there. The Hillsides leading to Machu Pichu have been terraced not only for arability but for the sake of steepening the slopes which visitors have to climb steadily as they explore the area.. TOURIST ACTIVITIES. Machu Pichu is reputed to be a tourist destination with quite a number of activities that have the potential of filling the itinerary of the tourists. There is world class packages developed mostly for the sake of the foreign tourists who would like to explore what is actually absent from their native mother land. Inti Raymi This is an annual ritual also known as the inca festival of the sun which is mainly celebrated during winter periods at a unique site known as “Citadel” of Saqsaywaman which naturally overlooks Cuzco, Citadel is an archeological site and during the event it also serves as a spectator arena for the ceremony. Inti Raymi is a replica of the Inca State Ritual and it occurs between late May and early June every year, hundreds of thousands of Cuzquenos participate in the event which consists of series of processions whereby very large statues of fifteen patron saints, Cuzco’s parishes virgins’, and the neighboring towns converge there at the cathedral. Then There they usually spend a period of around a week, whereby afterwards the saints will emerge and be carried by hundreds of men, and at the same time being accompanied by thousands of members of the parish which is usually concurrently virtually watched by Cuzco’s entire population and its neighboring environs. Corpus Christi There is also the catholic’s ritual of Corpus Christi, it is mainly a choreographed scripted scenario that lasts only several hours, contrary to the Inti Raymi that goes for days. Corpus Christi involves hundreds of actors who are costumed with the Inca dresses and the event shows most concern on the taste of the music, clothing and the ceremony itself. This occasion displays dance groups from indigenous communities within the region who compete for awards. However, despite the fact that these two events are not mainly held for the benefit of tourisms but instead they are performed as rituals of mass participation involving the entire population and also being taken as a sign of collective solidarity and affection within the Cuzco’s people, they have also continued to attract tourist from outside the area in very large numbers. Archeological Attractions. Cuzco boasts of several archeological sites such as the Pikillacta, Puca Pucara, and Pisac among others. It also consists of several museums that displays both colonial and Inca works, several colonial buildings such as the cathedral, the church of San Blas & the convent of Santa Catalina. Its score of 17th century churches & convents constitute a colonial ensemble which is unrivalled in the entire South American region and they boast of the fact that they are built on Inca foundations. Some of the colonial convents have also been converted into luxurious hotels and restaurants, in which they exploit the colonial or the Inca theme and this is evidently reflected on their names such as hotel Royal Inca or Hotel Kusin Runa. These hotels have been decorated with Inca theme murals such as the ceramics, posters of Machu Pichu and handicrafts produced by local indigenes. Eco-Tourism In Peru 60% of the land is located in the Amazon, and more land percentagewise is located in national parks than in any other South American countries, This has resulted into the Amazon being a virgin and one of the existing untouched rain forest in the world today. It is with this pristine that more tourists have continually flocked Peru in which tourism infrastructure has subsequently followed suit. Adventure Tourism Apart from the archeological attractions, other tourists come to witness adventure tourism which may consist of mountain climbing, hang-gliding and gliding. There is also the popular trek which may last between 2-4 days with the main destination being the Machu Pichu. Another favorite tourist attraction is the day long horseback excursion that is within nearby ruins around the Saqsaywaman area. TRAVELLING There are quite a number of airlines offering different services within and outside Peru. Peru’s airports are served with very many different international airlines from different countries across the world. The countries leading international airport “Jorge Chavez International Airport” received approximately 8 million passengers in the year 2008 alone. Peru shares land border with five different nations and it is interlinked with a highway connection across them. There are also international bus routes from Peru to other Southern American cities. Its highway system is very elaborate and covers nearly the entire republic. There are different types of buses owned by various public transport companies and the buses range in size & comfort and some may include features such as the reclining seats and onboard entertainments. Rail transport is also very common, there are only two major rail systems but they are exceptional effective. One serves the Central part and the other the Southern part. The Central starts in Lima and transverses through to Junin, while the Southern one which is also the most popular and mostly preferred by tourist’s, transverses from Cuzco to the Citadel of Machu Pichu which is indeed a world class tourist attraction. CUISINE AND DINING. There are quite a number of hotels and restaurants established by investors in Peru and going by the fact that it is a tourist destination, its cuisine is two way; one for the locals and the other geared towards the international tourist. All of the world’s major cuisine such as the Italian, Chinese, French, English, German and the American just to mention a few are present. They are designed with international tourist in mind whom would like to feel at home as much as possible, with the waiters also being conversant in some of the world’s most popular tourist languages for the sake of proper conversation with the visitors. TOURISM IMPACT ON HOST SOCIETY. Tourism is the fastest growing industry in Peru with an estimated annual growth of 25%. The industry itself makes up 7 % of Peru’s Gross Domestic Product and it employs slightly over 10% of the countries labor force either directly or indirectly. With the majority being absorbed in the transport and hotel business. It is no wonder that it arises as the third most larges industry in Peru and one of the most important for the country. With the arrival of international tourist, Peru has naturally transformed itself as a cosmopolitan region, this has been due to the fact that both the locals and the government itself had to adjust their systems so that tourists may feel at home because they are a major source of foreign exchange revenue. ACCOMODATION. There is quite a number of cheap accommodations within the entire nation of Peru, there is a plethora of cheap restaurants and hotels playing live music, this has made the city very popular with the backpackers. Areas such as those surrounding Lake Titacca there are cheap hotels present which are situated within spectacular locations. FACTORS DRAWING TOURISTS IN PERU There are a lot of factors that are responsible in attracting tourists from different corners of the world to Peru. These factors may also work independently or they may collaborate in conjunction with other factors. Pull Factors These are factors that attracts tourist to choose a particular destination rather than go to a competing destination. These factors may comprise of value for money, distance, weather, image of the destination, security and stability among others. There is an international airport in Cuzco which is the main city of Peru, this airport is being served by a number of international carriers which makes it easier for tourist to connect from different places of the world, Peru also boast of an extensive and elaborate road network which can easily link to any bordering Latin American countries, this is mostly ideal for tourists who like to exhaust and explore a region to the fullest. Life in Peru is realistically cheap when compared to some of the rival tourist destinations in particular North America, Asia and Europe, this will make it as an ideal option because most of the tourists feel that they will have value for their money. The locals there are very friendly and in most cases are readily available in helping visitors wherever they are stranded. Peru enjoys economic stability, the security has also been beefed up off late and cases of insecurity have drastically reduced as compared to the past. Push Factors. These are factors that will aid or assist in stimulating tourism products. These are the economic, social, technological, demographic and political forces. Peru is very much popular with people from the United States, Japan, United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, France and Spain. These are natives who come from resource generating regions where there is discretionary time, access to modern transport & telecommunications system and discretionary income enabling them to travel wherever and whenever they want to. This freedom of travelling is a very crucial factor in enabling the tourists to travel to Peru. Motivational Factors. These are personal internal factors that motivate an individual to choose a particular style and holiday destination. With the behaviors of tourists at a particular destination it is very easy to establish what their motivations are likely to be. A huge desire for recreation will ultimately motivate very many people into choosing Peru as their No. 1 destination. These group of people settle for Peru as their number one destination because they need to “Re-charge their Batteries” for another year of hard & long work. Some group of tourists also want to experience the Inca-trek, others want to witness the Corpus Christi & Int Raymi events first hand. Conclusion. Peru has been a very successful country in tourism, with its exploding Gross Domestic product and the soaring numbers of tourists from different parts of the world, world class hotels & restaurants, the hospitable citizens, historical and natural attractions there is a very bright future for the country and the tourism industry in general. The unique Inca-trail which goes from Cuzco to Machu Pichu, world class beaches, friendly climate coupled with a world class transportation system within Latin America has indeed raised Peru’s profile internationally as a worth mentioning tourist destination and it is with this world class profile that Peru is now in a position of competing with some of the best tourist destinations across the world. This has been aided by the fact that tourism is not only spread within certain regions of Peru but rather it has been spread entirely on the country with cities to visit being the Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa, Callao, Cuzco, Ica, Junin, Lima, Loreto, San Martin, Tumbes, Machu Pichu and Ucayali among others Read More