Tourism in Peru - Literature review Example

Tourism in Peru Student’s Name Subject Professor University/Institution Location Date Tourism in Peru Political map of Peru Introduction Peru is South America’s third largest nation with five neighbour countries which include Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile and Brazil. The amalgamation of political and economic instability, prevalent terrorist activities along with a solemn cholera outbreak once had adverse effects on the tourism industry of the country. However, in the recent years, tourism has been one of highest growing industries in the country. The major grounds behind the augmented demand in tourism in Peru are its incredible historical, cultural as well as ecological diversity. The number of tourists visiting different touristic sites in Peru has gone up tremendously (Santana 2001). This project will analyze Peru as a tourism destination with main focus on its natural environment, heritage, tourist attraction factors, tourism facilities and also the impact of tourism to the Peru society. Natural environment According to Santana (2001), Peru’s natural setting is rich with a wide range of unique animals, birds as well as plants. The condor is one of the unique birds of Peru. It is a South American bird’s species in the contemporary vulture family in the genus Vultur and has the biggest wingspan of all birds in the world. The bird’s most outstanding feature is its head and neck which are almost featherless with a dull red shade, which may blush resulting in a change of colour depending on the bird’s emotional position. Tourists find the bird very attractive hence; travel from different parts of the world to come see it. Additionally, Llamas are native animals of Peru and Bolivia. They are one of camel species prevalent in the region. Others included alpaca, vicuna and guanaco and have all adapted to desert conditions. The llamas and alpaca are domesticated and are used as pack animals. The Amazon rainforests in south east Peru forms one of uppermost biodiversity concentrations in the world and has a magnificent collection of fauna and flora species. It has over 300 distinct tree species. The forest is also rich all kinds of wild animals. Its range of animals includes monkeys, colourful macaws, toucans, capybaras, jaguars, alligators and huge anacondas. The rainforest offers an overwhelming tourism experience. It is also located near a national park and reserves (Santana 2001). Peruvian Society Van den Berghe & Ochoa (2000, p.10), asserts that, the Peruvian society is very diverse in terms of racial identity. Peruvian identities are mainly founded on mestizo and white elite communities. Other dominant races include Indians, Asians and blacks. Peru’s racial diversity has led to the prevalence of racial discrimination. Spanish and Quechua are the officially acknowledged languages in Peru. However, the government and education systems have been enforcing Spanish. The enforcement has continued throughout Peru’s state period from the colonial days to date. The Spanish used in Peru is however unique due to its combination with Castilian, Aymara and Quechua terms. Though a big percentage of Peru’s Indians speak Quechua, a significant portion of them use Aymara as their indigenous language. Catholicism is the prevalent religion in Peru at present. It is considered as one of the national identities which help in fighting against racial and ethnic differences. The Peruvian society survives and carries out several economic activities. Half of Peru’s population survives on informal economic activities such as street vending, unlicensed small businesses and car cleaning. The other half engage in things like selling jewellery and driving taxis (Van den Berghe & Ochoa 2000, p.11). Major heritage resources Harrison & Hitchcock (2005) maintains that, the main heritage resources in Peru are the Machu Picchu and the Incan civilization. Machu Picchu is a former Columbian Inca site which is 2, 430 meters high. Archaeologists believe that, the site was constructed as an estate for Pachacuti which is an Inca kingdom. It is mostly known as Lost City of the Incas and possibly the most known idol in the Inca World. The Incas began constructing it in 1400 but left it a century later during the Spanish Conquest. Though known by the local people, the site was unknown in other parts of the world prior to the global attention to it in 1911by Hiram Bingham who is an American historian. From that time, Machu Picchu has turned out to be a significant tourist attraction. A big percentage of the outlying buildings have been rebuilt so as to present tourists with a better picture of how the buildings initially looked like. Restoration of the structures continues to date. History of tourism in Peru According to Ypeij & Zorn (2007), tourism has been in Peru for a very long time now since the historical days. A study of Taquile Island and Chiquian community shows that, tourism around Chiquian is basically nature-oriented while in the Taquile Island, it is ecologically and culturally-based. Taquile Island is found on Lake Titicaca in southeast Peru and is accessible with motorboats from Pruno. Foreign tourists started arriving at the port of Pruno in 170s and the regions’ boat owners immediately added Taquile to their tourist operations around the lake. When tourists arrived at the island, a reception board used to welcome them and register them on the basis of nationality, age and period of stay. The tourists were then given accommodation in adobe huts in the local families. Extraordinary weavings from sheep and alpaca wool formed a major tourist attraction in those days. Chiquian is isolated just like Taquile Island and is enclosed by mountains. The main tourist sites in this region are Huaraz, Cordillera Huayhuash and Huascaran National Park. Other sites include colonial churches, archaeological sites and thermal springs. Visitors started coming to the region in the 1970s. The histories of Taquile Island and Chiquian alongside the discovery of Machu Picchu over 100 years ago explain why Peru has become tourist destination overtime (Mitchell & Eagles 2001, p.10). Push Factors Refer to aspects that make people want to move out of their respective countries to visit Peru. Most tourists who visit Peru come from United States, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Canada. People in these countries have good income levels which can cater for their holiday expenditures. In additionally, the nations have freedom of movement which allows their citizens to visit different parts of the world. Moreover, the above nations are all developed countries with edge cutting technologies which enable their nationals to have easy and quick access to Peru as well as locate various tourist destinations in the Peru (Butler, 1980). Pull Factors These are features in Peru that make attract tourists come to the country and which enhance the tourism industry. Peru has a wide range of tourist attractions from wild animals, birds, natural forests, historic sites, works of art and culture. Tourists come to the country to enjoy all these attractions and to see animals, birds and plants that they cannot find in their home countries. Peru is currently a very secure tourist destination despite some terrorism activities in the early 1990s. Security in main tourism sites within the country has been enhanced a feature which has led to increase inflow of tourists in the country. The countries from which majority of tourists to Peru come from, are near Peru and thus there are less restrictions on travelling visas to the destination. Also, the tourists can easily access Peru through air transport since Peru has several very developed international airports to and from different parts of the world. At present, Peru’s tourism industry has an excellent reputation in the international market a factor which highly attracts tourists to the destination (Butler 1980, p.15). Likely motivational Factors According to Butler (1980, p.19), motivational factors refer to aspects or reasons that stimulate a person to carry out a certain undertaking or to go a certain place. There are several factors that are likely to make tourists desire to visit Peru. For students, the desire to go to a place that is far from their learning institutions and with no books may inspire them to go to Peru and participate in tourist activities like swimming and bonfires. In addition, Peru has a rich culture, wildlife and history especially in the upcountry regions and thus, tourists may have the desire to learn and experience a distinct culture and see animals that are different from what they are used to seeing in their home countries, may force them to go to Peru. Moreover, many people just hear of Peru’s heritage features like the Machu Picchu but have never had the opportunity to see it. Hence, they may want to visit Peru out of curiosity of seeing how those structures look like. Activities of Tourists in Peru Drawing from Surhone, Tennoe, & Henssonow (2010), Peru’s wide range of tourist attractions presents different activities in which tourists can participate in during their visit in the country. In the first place, there are very luxurious beaches in Costa Verde which facilitate activities like swimming, surfing, sun-bathing and water sports especially during the summer. Additionally, tourists can practice fishing during the leisure time in areas like Cerro Azul. Moreover, tourists who are interested in learning about the Peru cultures and traditions can participate in ritual events. Furthermore, the geography of Peru is rich with mountains, rivers, valleys and canyons which facilitate activities such as mountain climbing, hiking and trekking. Tourists can also go for boat riding in the lakes or along the coasts which is a very interesting activity. In addition, they can visit national parks and reserves to see different types of animals and birds. Impact of tourism to Peru society According to Hill (2007, p.433), tourism has had several impacts in Peru which include economic, cultural and social impacts. Economic wise, tourism is the third biggest sector of economy in the Peru hence; earns huge returns and highly contributes to economic growth. However, a big percentage of beach resorts, hotels, shopping malls and travel agencies are owned by foreigners. This affects Peruvian economy because most of the profits earned from tourism are repatriated back to the foreigners’ home countries. Additionally, tourism leads to cultural dilution. The Machu Picchu is marketed as a magical site in the global market and thus once tourists visit the place, they are given an opportunity to make a customary offering to the goddess. Some just do it for fun and sometimes do not follow the required procedures. Moreover, tourism has encouraged immorality in the Peru society. There are Peruvian men normally referred to as the Andean lovers and who consider themselves irresistible to foreign women. These men get money by having intimate affairs with female tourists. They also take those tourists to the temple to seduce them (Sinervo & Hill 2011, p.115). Accommodation in Peru Peru is currently experiencing continuous increase in the number of hotels as well as other accommodation amenities all over the country. These facilities range from simple local hotels, generous natives’ homes to deluxe high-end hotels. Therefore, tourists always have a wide array of facilities to choose from. Rural home accommodation is mainly used by surfer and helps tourists to get acquainted with cultural settings. Local hotels may or may not have ensuite bathrooms but offer breakfast. Such facilities are targeted towards middle class tourists who visit Peru. Luxurious hotels like the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge Hotel offer services like swimming pools, hot showers, gymnasium, satellite television, dinners and breakfast. Famous artists and prominent business people stay in such hotels during their visit to Peru. There are also hostels which are mainly used by students and young tourists (Surhone, Tennoe, & Henssonow 2010). Gastronomic experiences A number of traditional dishes are available to tourists in Peru. In Tacna, gastronomy inherited from colonial customs, blend of natural ingredients with European dishes are impacted by immigrants from diverse backgrounds. Traditional dishes include fried pork peels with toasted cereals, guinea pig that is fried beneath a flat, weighty stone and a soup that is made from beef, wheat, pig’s feet, starch, garlic and squash. Such dishes are served with traditional drinks like pisco, Tacna sour, apricot and homemade wine. In addition, desserts and breads include rice mixed with milk, Ayuya, Taffy and Marraqueta. In Arequipa, cuisine forms one of highly diverse and acknowledged in Peru. Adobo arequipeno is a type of cuisine made from pork which is soaked with spices and chicha concho and prepared in a pot. Additionally, Pebre is soup with beef, lamb or corned mutton chalona (Blackstone Corporation 1995). Transportation means According to Sharpley & Telfer (2002), different means of transport are available for tourists to use to go to Peru and also for use within the country. To start with, there is a single distinct national airline in Peru but there are several different airlines providing air travel services from Peru to North and South America, Asia and Europe. The airports in the country are as well served by numerous global airlines from different nations. The Jorge Chavez International Airport which is located in the capital city, Lima is Peru’s top international airport. In addition, domestic flights between cities forms a major means for tourists to move across the country. In terms of highways, Peru has highway links with all its border countries except Columbia. Global bus routes are run in the various highways to give services between Peruvian towns and different cities in South America. Locally, highways are found in nearly all parts of the country except in Loreto which is solely accessed by airplane or boat. Peru has two railway systems, one in the Southern part of the country and the other in the capital. Tourists mostly use the southern one because it passes through areas like Machu Picchu and Cusco. In the Amazon region, river transport is used. The area lacks roads and thus air travel and river are commonly used and efficient means of transport (Sharpley & Telfer 2002). Promotion of the tourism industry Santana (2001) maintains that, the tourism industry in Peru can be promoted through a number of ways. The main aim of promoting this tourism destination is to create public awareness of the various tourist attractions that exist in the country to the global world and to persuade people to visit Peru and enjoy a unique tourism experience. To market Peru as a perfect tourist destination, promotion will be done through the internet. Brochures will be posted in the web showing the different tourist sites in the country. This considered the most appropriate way because it is accessible to many people all over the world. Promotion Brochure for Peru Conclusion Peru is located in South America and has five border countries. The condor, llamas and Amazon rainforests form some of the outstanding features in its natural environment. It has a diverse community in terms of race, language and economic activities with Catholicism being the dominant religion. Major heritage features in Peru are the Machu Picchu and the Incan empire. Tourism in the country dates back to 1970s in Taquile Island and Chiquian society. Push factors for tourism in Peru are high income levels, advance technology and freedom of movement. Pull factors include many tourist attractions, security, easy accessibility and good public image. In addition to all these, Peru has several tourist activities, good accommodation and transportation facilities and diverse traditional dishes are served. Tourism has fewer impacts on culture, economy and the society. It can thus be concluded that, Peru is a perfect tourism destination for people around the globe. List of References Blackstone Corporation 1995, Ecotourismand Environmental Linkages in Peru: A Framework for Action, Toronto, World Bank. Butler, R 1980, The concept of a tourist area cycle of evolution, Canadian geographer , 24, 5-12. Harrison, D & Hitchcock, M 2005, The politics of world heritage : negotiating tourism and conservation, Clevedon, Channel View Publications. Hill, M 2007, Contesting patrimony: Cusco’s mystical tourist industry and the politics of incanismo, Ethnos , 27 (4), 433-460. Mitchell, RE & Eagles, PF 2001, An Integrative Approach to Tourism:Lessons from the Andes of Peru, Journal of Sustainable Tourism , 9 (1), 1-26. Santana, G 2001, Tourism in South America, London, Routledge. Sharpley, R & Telfer, DJ 2002, Tourism and development : concepts and issues, Buffalo, NY , Channel View Publications. Sinervo, A & Hill, M 2011, The visual economy of Andean childhood poverty: interpreting postcards in Cusco, Peru, The journal of Latin American and Caribbean anthropology , 16 (1), 114-142. Surhone, LM, Tennoe, MT & Henssonow, SF 2010, Tourism in Peru, Saarbrücken, Betascript Publication. Van den Berghe, P & Ochoa, J 2000, Tourism and nativistic ideology in Cuzco, Peru, Annals of tourism research , 27 (1), 7-26. Ypeij, A & Zorn, E 2007, Taquile: a Peruvian tourist island struggling for control, European review of Latin American and Caribbean studies , 28, 119-128. Read More