Travel/Tourism

Promperú may extend Cuzco tourism campaign until July

Peru’s export and tourism agency Promperú is looking at extending until July the joint public and private sector tourism campaign “Cusco Pone,” state news agency Andina reported.

The tourism agency’s director, Jacquelin Saettone, said Promperú would like to extend the campaign until the railway to Machu Picchu is completely repaired.

Saettone said Promperú will discuss with private businesses the option of extending travel and tourism promotions to continue attracting Peruvian tourists to Cuzco.

As part of the campaign airline companies Lan Peru and Star Peru, for example, offered tickets to Cuzco at a promotional price of $49 and $79, respectively. According to Saettone, Lan Peru sold 139,000 airplane tickets to Cuzco during the campaign.

The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism announced the “Cusco Pone” campaign on Feb. 11 to promote national tourism to Cusco and surrounding attractions until Machu Picchu – Peru’s sacred Inca citadel and top tourist attraction – reopened.

The campaign provided Peruvian tourists discounts on hotels, airfare and tourism packages while repairs to the railway were being completed.

Machu Picchu reopened to tourists last Thursday after closing in late January due to flooding and mudslides that washed away large portions of the rail line leading to the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Current access to Machu Picchu is done by traveling by road from Cuzco or Ollantaytambo to Piscacucho at Km82, where tourists can board a train to Aguas Calientes at Km110.

The administrator of the Machu Picchu site, Marco Palomino, has said on average about 1,500 tourists have been visiting the citadel each day since it reopened.

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