Peru's new highway to give 60,000 Brazil tourists access to Cusco

Thanks to the construction of the Inter-Oceanic Highway, which is to be inaugurated in 2010, approximately 60,000 Brazilian tourists will arrive to Cusco's Imperial City every year.

Furthermore, the construction of the highway will allow farmers to sell their products to markets in the neighboring country, said Jean Paul Benavente, head of Cusco's tourism and foreign trade directorate.

He explained that one of the government's first goals was to generate more tourism from Peru's rainforest regions to the highlands and then to the country's coastal areas.

Benavente explained that to do this it would be necessary to create areas where tourists could rest and even shop. Among these key areas were the communities of Quincemil and Marcapata.
Aside from building the new highway, construction companies and government agencies are working on fostering tourism in the areas near the new road, said Benavente, explaining that projects were already taking place in the regions of Puno, Cusco and Madre de Dios.

Driving along this highway will be a very interesting experience for tourists, said the head of Cusco's Chamber of Tourism, stating visitors would be able to go from the jungle which is 200 meters above sea level to the Andes, which are 4,700 meters above sea level.

resource: livinginperu.com

Cusco to present energy and tourism projects at Brazil-Peru Border Summit

Cusco’s governor, Hugo Gonzales Sayan, said that his region will present energy and tourism projects to Brazilian authorities attending Peru- Brazil Border Summit to be held in the city of Rio Branco on April 28.

"We are to promote travel packages to Cusco via the Inter-Oceanic Highway to attract Brazilians entrepreneurs --through Camisea's natural gas-- to invest in a cement plant," Gonzales told Andina.

The summit will be chaired by Peruvian President Alan Garcia Perez and the President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

It will be attended by governors of Ayacucho, Arequipa, Apurimac, Ica, Cusco, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Puno and Tacna, regions linked to the Inter-Oceanic highway, as well as the Brazilian governors of Acre, Rondonia, Mato Grosso and Amazonas.

According to the regional authority, Cusco seeks to stimulate trade exchange of some agricultural products and promote initiatives to take advantage of the Inter-Oceanic Highway, built to accelerate the inter-regional development.

resource: livingperu

Artisans from Apurimac and Cusco to export their works to Italy

The cooperation of Vicariato San Agustín de Apurímac, the Regional Directorate of Trade and Tourism, and the NGO Apurímac Onlus, made possible the creation -in 2006- of Taller San Nicolás (Saint Nicholas Workshop), institution intended to help young artisans by providing them with art classes and with the knowledge to let then create their own business (and keep them running).

According to Michele Mattioli, Project's Coordinator, San Nicolás has sold more than 32,000 soles (US $10,300) to Italian markets, in only two years. Pottery, andean frames and replicas of cusco-style colonial paintings were amongst the most demanded works.

“Our first export was small: only 2,000 soles. Then requests rose to 10,000 soles and in the most recent one we have sold more than 20,000 soles” explained Mattioli.

Now, due to the increasing success, 25,000 euros have been assigned to improve the project and broaden its action towards adjacent provinces.

Not only that: the students are widening their horizons. “We want to create a cooperative, because that would ensure we will have jobs in the future, as well as the possibility of opening more workshops to give the same opportunity to more youngsters” said Rubit Quintanilla, Painting student at San Nicolás.

The success of San Nicolás has inspired a similar initiative, this time intended to young native artists from Cusco and Apurimac, who will receive training in pottery, knitting, textiles and business seminars: but this projects contemplates also the possibility of giving them small loans to allow them afford their own projects (and make the existing ones grow).

The main goal of these projects, in the long term, is to teach the people in these Andean areas --considered amongst the poorest ones in Peru- how to organize a business and improve their lives.

(El Comercio)

Peru: California choir to sing in Cusco

The Arzobishopric of Cusco is organising a Holy Week concert, and the main artists are the members of the San Marino (California) chamber choir, reported Selmira Vera, spokesperson of the archibishopric.

The concert will take place in the San Blas next Tuesday, April 7th, at8:00pm.

The San Marino Chamber Choir is conformed by children and youngsters between 13 and 18 years old, students from california's San Marino School, who are known to perform sacred music with amazing professionalism.

Vera remarked that chis chamber choir has toured many countries around the world, and has also performed at the Vatican City, in Rome.

Pachatusan Mountain in Cusco declared cultural heritage

Cusco, Mar. 26 (ANDINA).- The Pachatusan Mountain located in the Andean city of Cusco has been declared national cultural heritage by Peru's National Institute of Culture (INC).

Pachatusan, a Quechua word that means “the one that holds the world”, is one of the five sacred mountains that surround Cusco, the historic capital of the Inca empire.

Local authorities said this recognition will help to preserve the site's natural and archaeological legacy as well as promote Andean religious traditions such as the land worship.

The recognition includes 3,909 hectares located between Cusco and Incas valleys, in the towns of Oropesa, Saylla, San Jeronimo and San Salvador.

Besides its impressive natural beauty, people can find important archaeological vestiges in this 4,000-meter high mountain.

Another important sacred mountain near Cusco is Apu Huanacaure, considered as the main oracle or huaca (archaeological complex) of the Inca empire that will be soon declared cultural heritage.

Business tourism cusco fell by 10%

CUSCO The tourism business had fallen by about 10%, "said vice president of the Association of Craftsmen and Artists of Cuzco, Nestor Larico.

The manager of the artisans said that while there was not a significant reduction of tourism flow to Cusco, vicitantes considered that do not have a significant purchasing power that affect the economy of the artisans.

He said that to address this crisis, craft fairs conducted in different places of the city with the purpose of attempting to improve its economy which is seriously eroded with the decline of its sales.

"The 600 affiliates of the association are desperate because our basket was severely injured with the international crisis, we expect the authorities to support us in order to survive in these times, more than 16 lines of the craft that have been adversely affected and if we do not with support from the various families will be harmed Cusco "ended.

Resource: www.correoperu.com.pe