19:00 | Cusco (Cusco region), Apr. 23.
Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Elizabeth Galdo on Tuesday stressed the importance of Cusco for the development of Peru, noting that it is the second region that contributes the most to the country's economy.
These remarks were delivered during her speech at the "Third Decentralized National Agreement Meeting."
As is known, the National Agreement aims to seek consensus on various issues that motivate reflection on Peru and its growth.
In this regard, the Foreign Trade and Tourism sector's head highlighted the contribution of this region in terms of tourism and foreign trade, which are drivers of the economy and large generators of direct and indirect formal employment.
"Cusco brings us together to work jointly with all three levels of government, the private sector, academia, and civil society, as well as to promote the progress and prosperity of our country (…)," the minister stated.
"The region (of Cusco) is an important generator of incoming tourism and producer of Peruvian goods exported to the world," she added.
In 2023 alone, Cusco recorded US$4.831 billion in exports, mainly due to its shipments of natural gas, coffee, cacao, quinoa, giant corn, woolen garments, and minerals such as copper, molybdenum, and gold.
In the first two months of 2024, Cusco became one of the five southern regions that increased its exports to the world, reaching US$769 million, mainly thanks to the sales of copper, molybdenum, and cacao beans.
"In order to bring the exportable supply closer to the main international markets, Mincetur provides the necessary tools to companies in the region so as to improve the capabilities of producers, associations, as well as micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), for example, through programs such as the Productive Exporting Route," Minister Galdo pointed out.
Regarding the tourism sector, in 2023, the Cusco-based Velasco Astete International Airport received a total of 1,498,953 passengers, up 5.4% compared to the previous year.
In turn, the Archaeological Sanctuary of Machu Picchu was visited by 955,741 tourists in 2023, 69.3% of them were foreigners and 30.7% were national visitors.
In the first quarter of 2024, Machu Picchu has already seen the arrival of 120,780 visitors, a growth of 67% from the same period in 2023. Within this framework, 70.8% of the arrivals were foreign tourists and 29.2% were domestic.
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Published: 4/23/2024