LIMA, Dec 14 (NNN-ANDINA) — Economy and Finance Minister Alex Contreras affirmed that the protests taking place in various regions across Peru are costing between S/60 million (US$15.6 million) and S/100 million (US$26.1 million) per day.
“The estimated daily impact of what demonstrations cost is between S/60 million (US$15.6 million) and S/100 million (US$26.1 million),” he said in an interview with TV Peru.
“That implies less income for families because family members cannot go to work. There are companies whose sales have come to a halt, and there are fewer resources for regions because contributions, income tax, and canon have reduced, in addition to the confrontations among Peruvians,” the minister stated.
Contreras believes that protests will have moderate impact on this year’s economic growth, considering that just a bit more than two weeks are left until the end of 2022.
“Only 15 days are left for this year to end, and there will be a moderate impact on the growth of the economy; however, I think there are other effects that must be avoided, such as the impact of expectations, which have remained negative,” he said.
Nevertheless, the Cabinet member remarked that December has special dynamics and companies expect an improvement in their sales.
“December is a very special month for companies because there is considerable movement (of people) and higher sales. So, it is important that economic activities return to normal,” the government official explained.
“Many businesses are in debt and hit. Besides, they have to settle debts and pay wages,” he added.
Meanwhile, Foreign Trade-Tourism Minister Luis Fernando Helguero lamented the radical protests that have been taking place in several cities and stated that they are affecting tourism and foreign trade in Peru.
“We are amid protests that have a certain degree of legitimacy, but not at the level that are being held. The current moment is very sensitive; they (protests) have been affecting tourism and foreign trade,” he said in remarks to TVPeru.
The government official indicated that airport seizures are causing very serious damage to tourism activities in regions and the entire country in general since stranded tourists, as they cannot enter or leave cities, might get a negative impression of Peru.
“Bad news runs faster. In the tourism sector, bad news is hard to reverse. In the past, there used to be ‘word of mouth,’ but now bad news spreads faster due to social networks,” he noted.
The high-ranking official explained that security matters are essential for tourism activities. Yet these protests leave both domestic and foreign tourists unprotected.
Minister Helguero indicated that these protests hinder the process for the recovery of the tourism sector, which had been achieved after the suspension (of activities) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We project to end 2022 with a (registered) arrival of 2 million foreign tourists. It is true that we (the figure) are going to grow compared to 2021. However, before the pandemic began, we used to receive 4.4 million (tourists) a year. Those unfortunate events hinder the recovery process,” he pointed out.
In this sense, the minister specified that Peru’s southern Arequipa region receives 30,000 tourists a day. However, the result of current protests costs S/3 million (US$783,699) in daily economic losses in said area.
“And we are not only talking about Arequipa; Cusco faces another reality, and Andahuaylas faces another reality. The seizure of terminals affects us a lot,” he warned. — NNN-ANDINA
