Ascensor Concepcion is the main access funicular lift to the Unesco World Heritage Listed Site of Cerro Concepcion in Valparaiso, Chile. The local council decided it would be a good idea to raise the price of this lift from 100 pesos to 500 pesos (20 us cents to us$1) during the summer months (the high season for the tourist industry). Locals can buy books of tickets for roughly the same price as before the price hike (but still more expensive) so the raise is targeted squarely at the many thousands of tourists, both foreign and Chilean, who visit Valparaiso.
To give a comparison in costs, a colectivo taxi up the hill costs 300 pesos, a private taxi 800 and walking absolutely nothing. A bus ride from one end of town to the other costs around 220 pesos. The ride on the lift is around 30 seconds.
The local residents' association is 100% against this price rise and there are posters in the windows of almost every house on Cerro Concepcion and Cerro Alegre. There are petitioners at the top and at the bottom urging tourists to boycott the lift and use the Reina Victoria or Peral lifts a few minutes walk away for the normal price of 100 pesos.
However, it is a great inconvenience as the Concepcion lift gives the easiest access to Cerro Concepcion and its many bars, restaurants, boutiques and museums. For those who are unable to walk great distances, the Concepcion lift is indispensable on the tourist circuit.
Tourism is going to Valparaiso's life-line for years to come but the short-sighted local council is likely to kill things before they get started if this is the kind of policy they believe will encourage tourists to visit, and stay in, the city. They do not understand that tourists are not stupid and simply stay away from places they that charge them more than locals. The Residents' Association recognises this and is fully committed to fighting the council's ridiculous decision.
Please voice your support below by leaving your name, town and country and comment. If you're in Valparaiso, please try to avoid using the lift if possible and please also sign the petitions being offered around the Cerro. The petition will be forwarded to newspapers, residents' associations and the local council once we have collected enough signatures.
Thanks for your help!
4 comments:
Matt Ridgway:
Permanent resident, Cerro Concepcion, Valparaiso.
I agree. it is a disgrace to the city of valparaiso and must not continue.
sophia klinsmann from berlin, germany (studying in santiago)
Lorena Guerrero, Cerro Concepcion, Valparaiso.
Me parece una verguenza y un abuso/I think it's shameful and an abuse.
I agree. 500 pesos is small potatoes really, but the fact is that tourists hate double pricing. It annoys visitors to be charged more than locals. Annoyed visitors are likely to not be good word-of-mouth adverts for tourism to the city.
Joseph P, USA/NZ
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