· The Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Minister of Culture, together with the Minister of the Environment, regional and local authorities, led the ceremony from the Inca sanctuary
· Minister Rocío Barrios presented the Safe Travels Seal to the destination “Machupicchu”.
Machupicchu, November 1, 2020. Peru´s sanctuary of Machupicchu, the iconic archaeological site, reopened its doors with a special ceremony that showed the numerous cultural expressions of the country.
The event was led by the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Rocío Barrios, and the Minister of Culture, Alejandro Neyra, who were accompanied by the Minister of the Environment, Kirla Echegaray, the regional governor of Cusco, Jean Paul Benavente, and the district mayor of Machupicchu, Darwin Baca, among other authorities.
It is important to mention that during the ceremony, Minister Rocío Barrios also delivered the “Safe Travels” seal to the destination “Machupicchu”, which implies strict compliance with biosecurity protocols from the arrival of visitors to the Aguas Calientes train station, in its restaurants, lodgings, transportation to the entrance of the citadel of Machupicchu and inside the historic sanctuary.
“Today I am proud to deliver the Safe Travels seal to the Machupicchu destination. Now visitors as soon as they think of returning to our wonder of the world will be sure that strict biosecurity protocols are followed here. Tourism is returning, responsibly and gradually, “she said.
In order to grant this distinctive stamp to Machupicchu, the Cusco authorities formally requested its award to the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism. After that, coordinated work was carried out with the Ministry of Culture, Sernanp, as well as regional and local authorities and the private sector to gather information, verify the comply of the protocols, and implement corrective measures in this tourist destination. This embraces the level of cleaning, disinfection, waste management, among others. All framed in the protocols issued by the Peruvian government.
ABOUT THE CEREMONY
The reopening ceremony of Machupicchu began with a payment to the land in gratitude and a Cusco show with 45 local artists on stage. It ended with lights show and videos projected to the archaeological site. This important production featured high-tech equipment and lighting, showing the cultural and natural wealth from our country and for the world.
Likewise, messages from tourists from all over the world were shown, expressing their joy and good wishes for the reopening of Machupicchu. The messages were sent by the official travel social networks @VisitPeru and the Peru.travel portal.
NEW TOURISM
The reopening of the Peruvian tourism icon, Machupicchu, marks a milestone in the reactivation of the industry in our country, showing the world that given the permanent decline in COVID-19 cases and the implementation of protocols for this activity, we are prepared to receive the visit of travelers.
In this way, tourism activities will return to be implemented in a progressive, responsible and sustainable way, respecting all the biosecurity measures given by the government.
This occurs within the framework of the actions that the Peruvian government has been carrying out to reactivate tourism, one of the most affected sectors by the pandemic. In this way of reactivation, the second phase of the #DreamthenTravel international tourism campaign was also announced,
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DATA
• The Inca sanctuary of Machupicchu is a cultural and natural heritage of humanity by UNESCO, it has been recognized as Best Cultural Destination by the World Travels Awards and is considered one of the seven wonders of the modern world.
• Machu Picchu is an ancient Inca citadel nestled on a mountain. In Machupicchu there are temples, platforms and water canals. Its construction was built with large blocks of stone joined together, without the use of amalgamation. It was declared a Historical and Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco in 1981 when it was recognized as an important political, religious and administrative center of the Inca period.
• Its name translated into Spanish means Old Mountain. It has also been called the ”Lost City of the Incas ” because it was a mystery until it was discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911.