Peru as a Tourist Destination - Case Study Example

ANALYSIS OF DESTINATION: PERU Name Course Tutor Date of submission Map of Peru (Aqua Expeditions, 2015) Introduction Peru has been in the headlines as being a wonderful tourist destination in the world. The tourism industry in Peru is doing well owing to the developments within the industry. Most authors have been interested in covering Peru and have continuously reflected diversified ideas that are meant to promote tourism into the region. There are also the indigenous people of Peru that have a rich background that forms the basis of Peru being a tourist destination. This paper looks at Peru as a tourist destination through analysing the integral parts of Peru and the people of Peru all in one basket. Peruvian Society The Peruvian society is ethnically diverse owing to the different ethno-cultural groups that take the face of Peru. The Africans became part of the Peruvian society being that they provided labour while the Americans worked in the army and thus became integrated into the Peruvian society. The Spaniards are also part of the Peruvian society being that they were the ones that colonized the region. Most importantly there are the indigenous groups that were the original inhabitants of South America such as the Incas people and the Amerindians from India are also part of the Peru society. The major language spoken in Peru is Spanish brought by the Spaniards (O’Hare & Barrett, 1997, p. 68). However, indigenous languages such as Quechua and the Aymara languages are also spoken by the people being part of the society. The major religion practised in Peru is Catholic that was brought by the Spaniards (O’Hare & Barrett, 1997, p. 68). There are also some indigenous religions that are practiced as well as religions such as Islam and Buddhism owing to the diversity (O’Hare & Barrett, 1997, p. 68). The Peru people depend on Agriculture during the wet season and pottery during the hot and dry seasons. They also participate in fishing and mining. It is noteworthy that tourism has a significant contribution to the economy of Peru just as has agriculture and mining. How and Why Peru Became a Tourist Destination The key factor that can be attributed to the development of Peru as a tourist destination is human movement. The development of Peru dates back in the 1513 when the first European Balboa, claimed Pacific Ocean for Spain. This was then followed by the Spanish control that was initiated by the arrival of Pizarro. Later the Americans came in as soldiers and the Africans as labourers. The Spanish colonialists came with their catholic religion which is the key religions in Peru. The Chinese and the Japanese migrants also form the mix that makes Peru a diverse society. According to O’Hare and Barrett (1997, p.68), foreign travellers such as archaeologists, adventurers and mountain-climbers visited Peru in the 1990s. These people either came via sea from North America or through land from Chile and Argentina. The development of the railway system can also be attributed to the penetration of Peru by the travellers. The discovery of the Cuzsco as a getaway city to Inca Trail and the discovery of Machu Picchu that is the lost city boosted international tourism (O’Hare & Barrett 1997, p. 69). The other factors that led to increased tourism is the use of jet aircraft that reduced costs combined with the commencement of operations in Lima International airport in the year 1965 thus increase in international travel (O’Hare & Barrett 1997, p. 69). Additionally, the government of Peru also gave a hand in tourism through boosting construction of hotels and upgrading the existing ones to meet the needs of international tourists (O’Hare & Barrett 1997, p. 69). Peace and tranquillity that was maintained in Peru is also a factor that contributed to it being a tourist destination (O’Hare & Barrett 1997, p. 69). Security was achieved through jailing of the leader of the Shining Path Guerrillas (O’Hare & Barrett 1997, p. 70). Inca Heritage as Part of Peruvian Tourism Product The Incas ruled South America prior to the arrival of the Spanish Conquerors. The Inca had an empire called Tawantinsuyu that had Cuzsco as its capital city (van den Berghe & Ochoa 2000, p. 8). Put simply, heritage refers to the remains that reflect the past that are bequeathed generationally. Through heritage, the word heritage tourism is born including visiting of monuments, ancient cities, art galleries and historic theme parks as well as museum. The Incas are known for sun worshiping, a practice that has been passed to the contemporary descendants through Inca Festival of the Sun (Inti Raymi). The building of Cuzsco using the stones initially used by Incas remains a heritage since it was believed that the defeat of devil or Paganism by God and Christianity (Dean 2011, pp. 741-742). Dean (2011, p. 744) notes that the Inca buildings reflect how powerful the Inca rulers were being that their construction required power of many workers to move the stones. Tourists have held the belief that the houses were works of giants while people like Shirley MacLaine believe that they were works by supernatural beings (Dean 2011, pp. 745). The Amerindians strongly held the belief that the indigenous communities such as incanismo and indigenismo were protected being that they were Inca civilization. Some of the Inca heritage that attract tourists include the Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail which forms the core tourist attraction in Peru and became a reality in 1911 after the discovery of the Lost City. The other one is the City of Cuzco regarded as the Inca Empire capital and is also a major tourist destination due to the Spaniard built buildings from the Inca stones of their Saqsaywaman (Dean 2011, p. 737). The other heritage tourist destination is Inti Raymi that is the festival of the sun held in the middle of the archaeological site (van den Berghe and Ochoa, 2000, p. 16). The new age tourism that believes that the Inca civilization in Peru is associated with spiritual energy and the inheritance of the mystical powers by the Incas descendants in Andes mountains also make Peru a tourist destination. For this reason most tour companies have branded and sold mystical tours to international tourists who then visit the Incas mystical sites (Gomez-Barris 2012, p. 69). According to Gomez-Barris (2012, p. 69) the Diane Dunn is also famous for its workshops that teach tourists of the spiritual practices of the descendants of Inca civilization. Tourist Experiences and the Lake Titicaca Region Titicaca is famous for being the highest navigable lake in the world (Echeandia 1982, cited in Lopez 2012, p. 3). Taquile is just an island at the shores of the lake in Southern Peru. The people who inhabit the region are the Quechau-speakers who trace their origin to the Incas (Echeandia 1982, cited in Lopez 2012, p. 3). The Taquile people are famous for textile with history of over 4500 years in the Andes Mountains and is an integral part in their culture as well as history of the Andes people (Lopez 2012, p. 4). Tourists visit the Taquile Island to observe the culture that is even borne in the textile and also to have an experience of the Lake Titicaca boat-trip to the floating islands made by the Uros from reeds and reed-roots (Kent 2006, p. 86). The tourists also visit to see the houses and fishing rafts made of reeds as well as have an experience of the non-frowning Uros people who are indigenous people (Kent 2006, p. 86). Tourists also visit the region to have an excursion that enables them interact with the indigenous people as well as dress in local clothing and participate in local festivals (Ypeij & Zorn, 2007). Managing Tour Guiding in Peru McGrath (2004, p.426) notes that the link between level of integration between archeology and tourism has been strengthened by the tour guides and depends on the training accorded to the tour guides. There are local tour guides that take the visitors on tours to the Raqchi and Ollantaytambo, so that they can be able to explore the 80 households whose residents engage in pottery and agriculture in accordance to the dry and wet seasons respectively (McGrath, 2004, p. 428). McGrath (2004, p. 429) asserts that the local guides are established and have adequate training to take the visitors through the archeological sites. Tour guiding is viewed as a service tourism product characterized by intangibility, inseparability, labor intensity and variability, making it an encounter that is unpredictable and a new experience to the visitors (McGrath, 2004, p. 429). The guides act as mediators between the visitors and the destinations through providing interpretation skills so that the visitors are well informed of the destination (McGrath, 2004, p. 429). The guides are referred to as guía a term that is loosely used to refer to university graduates with specialization on Inca history (McGrath, 2004, p. 429). The term is also relatively used to refer to untrained adventure guides with knowledge of the topography and terrain and can offer safety, guidance and companionship on treks as well as rafting for the visitors (McGrath, 2004, p. 429). Non-specialist guides and pathfinders have posed a challenge and problems thus compromising quality of service and experience of tourists (McGrath, 2004, p. 430). Official guides are trained through degree in archeology or tourism at the university in Cusco (McGrath, 2004, p. 430). There are also college guides and the local guides from the mestizo indigenous population (McGrath, 2004, p. 430). Postcards, Image-Making and Peruvian Andean Children The postcard producers have leveraged on the poverty of the Andean children to produce postcards (Sinervo & Hill, 2011, p. 116). The Andean children are very important part of household economies and are valued with chores, tending to younger siblings, working in the Cusco street markets and pasturing animals (Sinervo & Hill, 2011, p. 116). The children also pose for photographs, perform music in groups and sell souvenirs as well as other assortment of products (Sinervo & Hill, 2011, p. 117). Child labour as vendors is expected and goes uncriticised in the Peruvian community (Sinervo & Hill, 2011, p. 116). The postcards index poverty through ragged clothing and dirty faces (Sinervo & Hill, 2011, p. 118). The children are also photographed in the countryside that is underdeveloped and experiences rural poverty (Sinervo & Hill, 2011, p. 118). The child vendors are not the subjects in the photographs (Sinervo & Hill, 2011, p. 118). The postcards reflect the suffering of the people and have been linked to increased proliferation of the tours to the shantytowns (Sinervo & Hill, 2011, p. 118). Some postcards feature children trapped and abandoned (Sinervo & Hill, 2011, p. 119). The postcards also reflect the children as the future as well as the childhood stage as being a stage for innocence (Sinervo & Hill, 2011, p. 120). Additionally, the children are reflected as reservoirs of survival while others still explore the boundary between adulthood and childhood (Sinervo & Hill, 2011, p. 120). The postcards also reflect the traits of the indigenous population including that of the Indians such as drunkard men (Sinervo & Hill, 2011, p. 127). Postcard production is controlled by transnational entrepreneurs and businesses who are both photographers and producers (Sinervo & Hill, 2011, p. 127). Boys are the key vendors of the postcards due to their confidence when selling the cards (Sinervo & Hill, 2011, p. 131). The poverty portrayed in the images are quite disturbing to the locals but evoke different emotions from the tourists (Sinervo & Hill, 2011, p. 132). The images also attract NGOs and volunteers into the Cusco region (Sinervo & Hill, 2011, p. 137). Designing an Original Brochure for a Peruvian Fauna Tour Fauna (Animals) of Peru Have an experience of the Peru fauna that are amazing in nature and peculiar. The guides will tell you amazing stories and meanings that are held deeper within the Peru people about the animals you will experience in your excursion visit, meals and rooms. Have an encounter with the insects of the wild and the reptiles as well as the fishes of Peru that also make great delicacies. Ringed Kingfisher, Scarlet Macaw, Orange-backed Troupial, and the Yellow-headed Caracara, wondering what these are then Peru is the destination to have an outstanding life bird watching experience. The Bird watching experience in Peru is well known. Don’t be part of those who read and watch in the media, have a personal experience of the variety of birds in Peru. How amazing it is that there are more species of birds they don’t capture in the media. Enjoy an experience of the soaring wildlife, reptiles, glamorous insects and elusive mammals of the Amazon rainforest just in one visit to Peru. Animals of Peru The amazon is well known for its amazing wildlife including the Pummas, tigers and the Jaguar that is unique to the forest. Do not fail to have an extraordinary learning lesson of the diversity that exists in the rainforests. Have a breathtaking look at the spectacled bears of Peru at the comfort of your tour vehicles or either the company of friendly tour guides Gastronomic Experiences for Tourists in Peru There are various foods that tourists can enjoy when in Peru. Additionally, the tourists can also enjoy the cooking lessons that are offered for the Peru cuisine. Peruvian food is incredibly diverse depending on the regions and the cities. The tasty Comida Criolla which is a combination of the traditional dishes of the Peruvian people. There are a variety of Potatoes that the tourists that the tourists can take. The other dishes Papa a la Huancaina, Anticuchos, Lomo Saltado, Ceviche, Tiradito, Aji de Gallina, El Chifa the Chinese cuisine experience, Papa Rellena which is the rolled and stuffed potato and the Cau Cau which is the stew served with diced potatoes and rice. There is also the Ensalada Pallares which entails the Peruvian Lima butter beans that are nutritious. There is also the Sopa that means soup that vary between hotels. There is also the Escabeche de Pescado that has boiled fish, onions, chillies and vinegar and could also involve chicken in place of fish. There are also Peruvian desserts like Picarones, Lucuma that is nutty flavoured and Mazamorra Morada made from corn. The other common Peruvian and Andean cuisine is the Novoandina and the Chicha beer fermented from corn. There are also cooking classes where the tourists get the chance to engage in preparing various dishes and tasting them especially the Huancaina Sauce with prawn and potatoes. Tourists should take care of the Cuy which is the guinea pig that is served in some Peruvian cuisine. When in Lima and Peru the tourists should only drink the bottled water provided because it is safer compared to the untreated water from the lakes and rivers. Transport used by Tourists Travelling to Peru and in Peru There are many forms of travel that can be utilized by the tourists when exploring Peru from trains to taxis and aircrafts. The international and regional tourists can access Peru through air travel being that there are airports such as the Lima international airport. Peru has the best and most developed air transport infrastructure that has been applauded for its efficiency and development levels. The air transport of Peru connects well with Latin America and the Unites States. There are also direct flights to Madrid, Amsterdam and Paris operating in Lima. The Peru airline experience ranks best among the world’s largest airline experiences. Tourists can also access Peru via passenger trains that operate in southern Peru at cheaper rates. There are also the backpacker trains that also enable the tourists to access the sites in Peru. Tourists can also use buses and the long distance buses to access Peru for their tour experience. When accessing the towns, the best way is to use the taxis that are available throughout day and night. Accommodation Available to Tourists in Peru Planning for travel involves looking at accommodation among other things. There are a variety of accommodations available for the tourists who visit Peru. These accommodations of Latin American influence range from international hotels to basic rooms and hostels (Lonely Planet, 2015). There are also camping bases available for those who would like to have an outdoor accommodation experience. There are cheaper hotels that is the mid-range hotels, then the five and four-star hotels that have rooms for tourists (Rough Guides, 2015). There are also hostels in Peru that are cheap and have the greatest experience. The hostels are categorized for women, men, couples and for the youths (Rough Guides, 2015). There are also lodges where the tourists can relax and have an experience of the Peru culture and foods indoors (Rough Guides, 2015). Additionally, there are also bed and breakfast and guesthouses spread in the urban areas where the tourists can resort to for accommodation (Rough Guides, 2015). Lastly, there are also apartments that are booked for families and couples as well as youths who have the money to afford such accommodation (Rough Guides, 2015). Impacts of Tourism on the People of Peru There are bidirectional ways in which tourism has impacted the Peru People. First, the revenue collected from tourism activities by the locals is used to improve their homes. Secondly, through tourism the Peru people have been able to sell their textile in the USA through volunteers (O’Hare & Barrett 1997, p. 69). Thirdly, the tourism has attracted volunteer tourism and NGOs that have been fighting poverty among the Peru people especially child poverty (O’Hare & Barrett 1997, p. 69). Tourism has also led to the development of the surrounding of the Peru people through upgrade of the towns. Conclusion The tourist industry of Peru has come a long way and can be said to have stabilized as it is now. It is visible that there are various amazing places in Peru that act as tourist attractions combined with the rich history and the culture of the people. In a way, tourism has opened up the paths and lives of the Peru people in different ways. There is more interesting about this destination that need to be explored exhaustively and for those who haven’t tried Peru, this is the best time to have an encounter. Bibliography Dean, C 2011, ‘Inka ruins and the discovery of mystery’, Third Text, (25) 6, pp. 737-749. Gomez-Barris, M 2012, ‘Andean Translations: New Age Tourism and Cultural Exchange in the Sacred Valley, Peru’, Latin American Perspectives, (39) 6, pp. 68-78. Kent, M. 2006, ‘From reeds to tourism: the transformation of territorial conflicts in the Titacaca National Reserve’, Current Issues in Tourism, (9)1, pp 86-103). Lonely Planet (2015). Peru Hotels, Hostels & Accommodation - Lonely Planet. [online] Lonely Planet. Available at: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/peru/hotels [Accessed 23 Oct. 2015]. Lopez, DE 2012, ‘The shifting phases of a commodity: textiles and ethnic tourism on a Lake Titicaca Island’, Totem: The University of Western Ontario Journal of Anthropology, (20)1, pp. 1-16. McGrath, G 2004, ‘Including the outsiders: the contribution of guides to integrated heritage tourism management in Cusco, Southern Peru’, Current Issues in Tourism, (7) 4-5, pp. 426-432. Mitchell, RE & Reid, DG 2001, ‘Community integration: island tourism in Peru’, Annals of tourism research, (28)1, pp. 113-139. Rough Guides, (2015). Accommodation | About Peru. [online] Available at: http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/south-america/peru/accommodation/ [Accessed 23 Oct. 2015]. Sinervo, A & Hill, M 2011, ‘The visual economy of Andean childhood poverty: interpreting postcards in Cusco, Peru’, (16)1, pp. 114-142. Van den Berghe, PL & Ochoa, JF 2000, ‘Tourism and nativistic ideology in Cuzco, Peru’, Annals of Tourism Research, (27)1, pp. 7-26. Virtual Tourist, (2015). Peru Transportation. [online] Available at: http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/South_America/Peru/Transportation-Peru-TG-C-1.html [Accessed 23 Oct. 2015]. Woodward, R. (2015). Peru Food Typical Peruvian Meals, Dishes, Seafood, Desserts, Ceviche. [online] Southamerica.cl. Available at: http://www.southamerica.cl/Peru/Food/Guide.htm [Accessed 23 Oct. 2015]. Ypeij, A & Zorn, E 2007, ‘Taquile: a Peruvian tourist island struggling for control’, European review of Latin American and Caribbean studies, (82) pp. 119-128 Zorn, E & Farthing, LC 2007, ‘Communitarian tourism: hosts and mediators in Peru’, Annals of tourism research, (34)3, pp. 673-689. Brochure Pictures References Aqua Expeditions, (2015). Amazon River Animals, Amazon Rainforest Wildlife; Amazon Jungle Wildlife. [Online]Availableat:http://www.aquaexpeditions.com/luxury-cruise-destinations/peru-the- amazon/amazon-animals-wildlife-2/ [Accessed 23 Oct. 2015]. Livebinders.com, (2015). Fauna de la Selva Tropica-LiveBinder. [online] Available at: http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1377496 [Accessed 23 Oct. 2015]. News.nationalgeographic.com, (2015). RARE ANIMAL PHOTOS: Giant Armadillo, Bush Dog, More. [online] Available at: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/06/photogalleries/amazon- camera-trap-pictures/ [Accessed 23 Oct. 2015]. Designing an Original Brochure for a Peruvian Fauna Tour Fauna (Animals) of Peru Have an experience of the Peru fauna that are amazing in nature and peculiar. The guides will tell you amazing stories and meanings that are held deeper within the Peru people about the animals you will experience in your excursion visit, meals and rooms. Have an encounter with the insects of the wild and the reptiles as well as the fishes of Peru that also make great delicacies. Ringed Kingfisher, Scarlet Macaw, Orange-backed Troupial, and the Yellow-headed Caracara, wondering what these are then Peru is the destination to have an outstanding life bird watching experience. The Bird watching experience in Peru is well known. Don’t be part of those who read and watch in the media, have a personal experience of the variety of birds in Peru. How amazing it is that there are more species of birds they don’t capture in the media. Enjoy an experience of the soaring wildlife, reptiles, glamorous insects and elusive mammals of the Amazon rainforest just in one visit to Peru. Animals of Peru The amazon is well known for its amazing wildlife including the Pummas, tigers and the Jaguar that is unique to the forest. Do not fail to have an extraordinary learning lesson of the diversity that exists in the rainforests. Have a breathtaking look at the spectacled bears of Peru at the comfort of your tour vehicles or either the company of friendly tour guides Read More