Airport upgrades will be ready for Ibero-American Summit; City prepares for international cultural festival; Holidays were a success despite power crisis

Jueves, 6/11/2024

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

VIII Festival Internacional de Tradiciones y Culturas (VIII International Festival of Traditions and Cultures) – Cuenca is preparing for the 8th edition of the Festival Internacional de Tradiciones y Culturas which celebrates the diversity and cultural richness of the participating countries of México, Bolivia <will there be Cholita wrestlers?> Perú and Ecuador. The presentations will be in different public spaces, theaters, and parishes and cantons in Azuay. There will be dance and musical performances el viernes, 15/11 & sábado 15/11 in the Teatro de la Casa de la Cultura starting a las 19:00. Tickets available at Palier Caré Libro (Luis Cordero y Pres. Córdova). Cost $5.00.

The new escalators at the Mariscal La Mar Airport will be ready for next week’s Ibero-American summit. (El Mercurio)

Ricuarte ofrecerá ‘banquete del cuy’ (Ricuarte will offer a ‘guinea pig banquet’) – Ricaurte Parish is celebrating its patron saint, San Carlos Borromeo until el domingo. Tomorrow, there will be a mass a las 9:00; a las 10:00 there will be a cultural and sports morning; and a las 14:00, a drawing contest. At 19:00 there will be another mass and a las 20:00, an accordion contest. El sábado there will be an agricultural/crafts fair, traditional games, and a serenade to San Carlos. El domingo the activities will be a mass and procession, the cuy banquet, and a performance by the “Los del Río” orchestra from Ambato. <Mmmm – yummy cuy with a nice crisp, crackling skin. I know, thank you for giving me your portion.>

De El Mercurio del miércoles, 6/11 (1 article):
Función de teatro (Theater performance) – ‘El Ángel,’ a production by the Luminile & Proyecto Lengua Escarlata theater company will be staged el viernes a las 20:00, in the Sala “Alfonso Carrasco” at the Casa de la Cultura. The work tells a moving story about an immigrant father who returns to his native country with a desire to meet his son. It addresses the migratory crisis that affected the country in the beginning of the 21st century. Tickets are available at the Sucre Salé Café, Librimundi at the Mall del Río, and the Palier Café Libro. Cost: $8.00 presales, $10.00 on the day of the event.

Titular –

Trump, la revancha (Trump, the revenge/rematch) – <If you want to follow the story, there are more than enough English language sources.>

Cuenca –

Aeropuerto listo para cumbre (Airport ready for summit) – The Mariscal La Mar airport in Cuenca is ready for the authorities participating in the XXIX Cumbre Iberoamericana de Jefas y Jefes de Estado y de Gobierno and the XV Encuentro Empresarial Iberoamericano (XXIX Iberoamerican Summit of Heads of State and Government and the XV Iberoamerican Business Meeting). The first of these international summits is the 14 & 15/11 with the highest authorities in 22 Iberamerican countries attending. The 2nd will be held el 13 & 14/11. <And Cuenca wants to make a good impression and not be perceived as one of Trump’s s**t hole countries.>

José Luis Aguilar, director of the Corporación Aeroportuaria de Cuenca (Corpac) which administers the airport, said that most of the internal projects will be finished by the end of the weekend at the latest. Improvements include escalators which were bought previously, but not installed. Changes were made to the offices for migration, anti-narcotics, and customs. Each of those institutions will provide their own personnel. Also worked on were the runway, platforms, and parking lots so they would comply with the requirements of the President of Ecuador and Sec’y of State.

One parking lot needed to be repaved since it is one of the exit points for the heads of state and their security teams. A simulation was held to understand the process for the arrival of the big cheeses and how they will be honored before leaving the airport. <I hope ETAPA doesn’t turn the power off before they get to where ever they’re going.> Santiago Malo, Governor of Azuay, said that security operations have been defined, and being managed directly by the President of Ecuador <I hope better than he’s managed security in prisons and on the coast.> Special elite groups of the Policía Nacional are in Cuenca this week, and meetings are planned with safety and rescue institutions such as the Red Cross, Fire Department, and National Secretary of Risk Management to define protocols. At the different locations where the heads of state and their assistants meet, they will need to comply with a security process that could take from 45 min. to an hour. <So they will find out what it’s like to be an ordinary citizen who spends a lot of time waiting in lines. Bureaucratic processes? Welcome to Ecuador Mr. Presidents.>

De El Mercurio del miércoles, 6/11 (2 articles):
Feriado: el emprendedor ganó (Holiday: the entrepreneur won) – The holiday was a festive period and also an opportunity for small businesses who took advantage of the inflow of visitors to sell their products or launch new proposals. Some, who did not have assigned spaces, set up informal stands along the Tomebamba. Mayor Zamora admitted that the number of visitors indicated a need for more spaces for the carnavals and craftspeople in future events where they can show their work in an organized manner. Bertha Loja, representative of the merchants from the mercados in Cuenca, said there was a doubling of sales in comparison to 2023. She said she had to order two more chanchos than planned since she ran out by el 2/11. Henry León, general director of the Mega Feria in the Complejo Deportivo Totoracocha said that they had about 50,000 people during the 10 days of that event. The fair had about 300 exhibitors and artistic activities. The hotel occupancy rate was 98% not counting Airbnb types of lodging.

Alto impacto económico (High economic impact) – The festivities in Cuenca generated an economic impact of over $52.4 million with the arrival of 280,233 visitors from cities such as Guayaquil, El Oro, Loja and Quito. During the 5 days of celebrations, there were over 230 events including concerts, parades, and food festivals that boosted hotel occupancy to 8%, 3% over last year’s occupancy rate. Data gathered indicated a 7% increase in the number of visitors over 2023. 50,216 people arrived via the Terminal Terrestre, and increase of 18.6%; 225,309 tourists came in private cars, a 5% increase over last year. 4,200 people arrived on 56 flights. According to Azutaxi, 110,000 calls for a cab couldn’t be responded to due to the high demand during the holidays. <So is everybody happy now?>

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne