The decision to sell tickets to Machu Picchu virtually confronts those responsible for Culture in Peru with local authorities and residents of the southern region of Cusco directly linked to the famous archaeological site.
In the midst of this discrepancy, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) issued a statement this Thursday supporting the Culture Office’s decision to implement the sale of tickets on an Internet platform.
Mincetur assured that this measure “will allow transparency, auditability and predictability that facilitate having an additional tool to obtain a better profile of visitors to the archaeological sanctuary.”
When referring directly to the protests that this measure has generated, the ministry maintained that “achieving solid agreements requires dialogue and coordination with the three levels of government and the private sector.”
“We reiterate our commitment, as an entity that defines, directs and supervises tourism policies in Peru, to support those actions that allow us to continue promoting the flow of visitors in the regions, which is an important generator of employment and well-being for our country. “he concluded.
The controversy broke out after the Ministry of Culture confirmed that tickets were going to be sold virtually starting this week, which was considered by tour operators and inhabitants of the town of Machu Picchu as a first step to “privatize” the archaeological site.
This point was rejected by the ministry, which assured that 1,000 tickets will continue to be sold directly at the windows in the town located on the slopes of the mountain where the archaeological site is located.
After the demonstrations, the Ministry of Culture reported that it had decided to suspend the sale of tickets through a virtual platform until early 2024 to comply with “a short period of recognition and familiarity with the new platform, in response to demand.” of the formal tourism sector”.
“The idea is to improve cultural management, administration. In no way privatize the administration or management of our main tourist and cultural site in the country,” said the Minister of Culture, Leslie Urteaga, to local media.
The ministry also reported that a process of administrative reorganization of the Decentralized Directorate of Culture (DDC) of Cusco will begin “with the aim of transforming its processes and offering better services to citizens.”
On Wednesday, it was learned that the director of Culture of Cusco, the archaeologist Maritza Candia, resigned due to her “total disagreement” with the “highly centralist management” of Urteaga, as stated in a letter sent to the minister and reproduced by local media.
The Culture Ministry confirmed this Thursday that Urteaga concluded Candia’s appointment and temporarily entrusted the direction of Cuzco to architect Claudia Miranda.
In addition, the reorganization of that organization was made official to “carry out a comprehensive evaluation of its critical processes that ensure its effective and efficient operation, as well as improve the quality of the services it provides to citizens.”
He also formed a working group that will have the mission of evaluating, for 90 days, “the critical processes” of the DDC Cuzco and presenting a final report to the Culture office.
The Peruvian Government asked this Saturday in a statement to the inhabitants of the town of Machu Picchu to denounce the people who intimidate them to join a stoppage of activities to protest against the virtual sale of tickets to visit that tourist destination.
