Cuenca is having a busy autumn, and travellers with Ecuador on the radar should pay attention to a few of the changes. From early November, Ecuador's third city gains not one but two new air connections, plus a brand-new public holiday that comes with a temporary tax cut.

First, the flights. Avianca launches a daily Cuenca-Guayaquil route from 1 November, with the Cuenca departure leaving at 11:05 and arriving just before noon, and the return leg leaving Guayaquil at 12:40. Tickets go on sale through Avianca's digital channels. More intriguingly, Aeroregional plans to make Mariscal La Mar airport international again with a Cuenca-Chiclayo route in southern Peru, operating daily between 11 and 15 November initially and priced around $450. Airport authority Corpac is still ticking off technical requirements, with a possible pilot flight in late October. If it sticks, it's the first time in a while that Cuenca has had a direct cross-border option - handy for anyone stitching together an Ecuador-Peru itinerary without backtracking through Lima or Guayaquil.

Then there's the oddball holiday. President Noboa has decreed 20 November a public holiday for both public and private sector workers - notable because it marks no civic or historical date at all. The aim is to boost attendance at the Festival Internacional de Artes Vivas de Loja, which runs through November, and visitors get a bonus: VAT drops from 15% to 8% that day. sceptics note the date also sits just ahead of local elections on 29 November, but a cheaper shopping day midweek is a midweek shopping day.

Elsewhere in town, the Mercado 9 de Octubre celebrates its 94th birthday with two days of festivities, including mariachis, a market-talent show and a set from Los Choleros. And for a culture fix, the Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno is marking 45 years by opening its reserves to the public for the first time - 125 works from a collection of about 700, spread across 14 rooms and 105 artists, including a piece by Eduardo Kingman. The show runs until mid-November, entry hours 9:00 to 16:45.

A few practical notes if you're visiting soon. Free rabies vaccinations for cats and dogs run at health centres in Azuay until 25 November, part of a national campaign targeting 123,000 pets. The city has also pulled about 237 of its 550 public waste bins because households were dumping rubbish in them, so expect fewer bins on the streets. And authorities are asking residents and visitors alike to conserve water and power ahead of El Niño effects - a $650 million federal response budget is in place, with local governments tasked with implementing their own plans.

For travellers, the takeaway is simple: Cuenca is getting easier to reach, cheaper on a specific November date, and richer in things to see while the modern art museum's vaults are open. Timing a trip for the festival season and the new air links could pay off.