Tourism in Peru[Marissa Khoukaz: GBUS 492]

What Are the Advantages & Disadvantages of Tourism in

Peru?

• About 60% of Peru is jungle, but only about 5% of the population lives there.

• Vast majority of the population lives on the coast

• Peru is made up of tropical climates, deserts, ocean coastlines, mountains, and lush wildlife.

Tourist Demographics1. Chilean2. Americans (USA)3. Ecuadorians4. Argentinians5. Colombians6. Brazilians7. Spanish8. Bolivians

9. French10.Venezuelans11.Germans12.Canadians13.Japanese14.English15.Mexican

Tourist Attractions in Peru• Machu Picchu

− 2500+ tourists visit each day and revenues reach over 35 million USD annually

− What was its purpose? Retreat, science center, religious?

− How was it built? Mountain needed to be leveled, incredible stonework.

− Very popular for hiking (Inca Trail, Huayana Picchu

− Takes an average of 3.5 hours to arrive from Cusco

Tourist Attractions…• Madre de Dios

−Ecotourism hotspot−Located in the Amazon jungle−Lush wildlife and landscape – over

1000 types of insects and birds, hundreds of mammals

Tourist Attractions...• Saksaywaman

− Capital of Inca Empire – “Head of the Puma” of Cusco

− Called a fortress, but acted as a small city & served a religious purpose

− Needs to be imagined in its full splendor

− Incredible stonework without mortar: how were these stones carved and transported? (weigh tons!)

Tourist Attractions…• Lake Titicaca

− 12,500 feet above sea level− Highest navigable lake. Largest

lake in South America by volume

− Known for beauty & local culture

− “Where civilization first began” for Inca people

− Name means “Rock of the Puma”

• Nazca Lines− Geoglyphs in Nazca Desert− Naturally preserved− What were they used for?

Theories: religious, cosmology, manufacturing, irrigation, astrology.

Effect on Peruvian Economy• 3.16 million Int’l visitors in 2013• Growing 25%/year as of 2012• T&T contributes est. 3.4% to GDP directly &

9% indirectly• 300,000+ jobs & 2.3% of employment directly

(7.4% and 1 million jobs directly)• Government invests about 3% in tourism• Peru is efficient at using very little space to

create a positive economic impact. 1 hectare of land = 10,000 jobs and 1 million USD in revenue for hospitality.

Source: World Travel & Tourism Council

Ease of Being a Tourist in Peru• Affordable: strong USD + low prices• USD accepted widely• Uber & Air Bnb• Friendly locals• Decent English-speaking population

Difficulty of Being a Tourist In Peru• Infrastructure lacking• Crime, terrorism, & drug trafficking• Altitude sickness• Disease: contamination, mosquito-

borne, etc. • Unlicensed taxis, limited means of

transportation• Inauthentic goods

• Illegal artifact trade is huge problem• Peruvian gov’t has had success combatting

− Offering money− Have retrieved some artifacts from other

countries− Checking at airports and borders

• Looters dig or steal at night− Over 100,000 Moche tombs looted

• Sell to tourists and collectors• Special order looting

Illegal Activities & Tourism

Areas for Improvement• Safety: terrorism, crime, drug trade• Infrastructure: transportation, water,

internet• Sanitation facilities: water, sewer, disease• Price competitiveness in travel industry:

hotels pricier than neighboring countries, airlines subject to lots of taxes

• Environmental: preservation of resources (limiting tourists), historical sites, damaging practices (logging, looting, etc.)

QUESTIONS?

Sources:• http://traveltips.usatoday.com/lake-titicaca-1299.html• http://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/benchmark%20reports/country%20results/pe

ru%20benchmarking%202013.pdf

• http://www.perunature.com/madre-de-dios-region-peru.html• World Economic Forum Competitiveness Report 2013• http://www.peruthisweek.com/news-machu-picchu-draws-us35-million-in-revenue-annu

ally-103199

• http://www.cusco-peru.org/cusco-surroundings-cusco-sacsayhuaman.shtml• http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/mar/21/looters-latin-america-archaeological-

heritage• http://www.examiner.com/article/looting-of-peru-s-ancient-treasures-is-worse-now-than-

spanish-colonial-times

• http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/03/nasca/hall-text/1