Growing Industry in Peru

Brown 1 “The Fastest Growing Industry in Peru”: Examining the Cultural, Environmental, and Economical Impacts of Tourism in the Sacred Valley Introductory paragraph/thesis: An increase in tourists and development in the Sacred Valley has led to substantial changes in Peru’s cultural, environmental, and economical climates. In this essay, I will establish how the tourism industry developed to the scale it has and the ramifications and the affluence for the region. How the tourist industry developed: ● “Cuzco is widely popular for its juxtaposition of rich Incan and colonial architecture, abundant native population, and magnificent ancient ruins” (Smith/Hurt 10) ● “The remarkable transformation of Machu Picchu by Bingham was no accident, but was intertwined with the efforts to promote the Inca archaeological site into a tourist destination during the Good Neighbor era between Peru and the United States.” (Rice 51) ○ Explain the good neighbor policy and its impacts on US/Peru relations How Peru/Sacred Valley tourism was developed/came to be ● Hiram Bingham expedition and an influx of US/UK tourists: ● “Machu Picchu returned to relative obscurity after the burst of global interest in the site following Bingham’s initial announcement.” (Rice 53) ● “Everything representing Andean culture appeared to stand in the way of modern traveling and, in the eyes of many, a modernizing nation.” (Rice 56) ● 1948 → “tourist highway” for visitors of Machu Picchu ● Vast majority of tourists still only visit two major cities: Lima and Cusco (Rice) Economical Impacts: ● With over 60% of the country’s rural dwellers, the mountainous region is dominated by people of indigenous background including Quechua, Aymara, and Q’eros groups. (SM ● “Tourism is thus not a guaranteed way to stimulate local development. It depends on policy-makers’ ability to attract the right type of tourist, control costs and benefits, and protect sites from environmental and cultural degeneration.” (Zoomers 980) ○ Tourism employment/wages are seasonal and regionally dependent ● “Our methodological approach is based on the hypothesis that tourism will contribute to a reduction in poverty provided that it entails pro-poor design and implementation of tourism sector development. If, on the contrary, these conditions are not met appropriately, either tourism will lead to an increase in Brown 2 poverty or, at best, it will have no effect.” (Rodriguez/ Cases-Jurado/ Fernandez 747) ● “This country is characterized by high levels of poverty and deep socio‐economic inequalities, and its economic growth is partially based on tourism.” (Rodriguez/ Cases-Jurado/ Fernandez 753) Concluding paragraphs: ● Determine and lay a basis to weigh each of the three sub points (culture, environment, economically) to determine the benefits and or losses of those sectors from an increase of tourism in the Sacred Valley. Citations: Smith, J. S., & Hurt, D. A. (2011). Roads Less Traveled: Emerging Tourism in Peru. Focus on Geography, 11–23. DOI:10.1111/j.1949-8535.2010.00021 Rice, M. (2017). Good Neighbors and Lost Cities. Radical History Review, 2017, 51–73. DOI: 10.1215/01636545-3920679 Rodríguez, Carmen María, et al. Tourism and Poverty Alleviation: An Empirical Analysis Using Panel Data on Peru's Departments. n.d., pp. 746–756. Zoomers, A. (2008). Global Travelling Along the Inca Route: Is International Tourism Beneficial for Local Development? European Planning Studies, 971–983. DOI:10.1080/09654310802163769