LIMA, July 30 – Official tourism figures show that international visitors spend on average US$100 per day during their vacation stay in Peru.
According to the World Organisation of Tourism, Peru’s growth in visitor arrivals makes the nation a world leader.
In 2013, Peru international visitor arrivals totalled 2,800,000, an 8.5 per cent increase, while the global average was 3.9 per cent. This generated an economic impact for Peru of US$3.23 billion in 2012, 11 per cent more than 2011.
This growth is largely a result of the work of Peru’s tourism promotion board PromPeru, which was recently named the “Best Tourism Office in South America” for the third year in a row at the World Travel Awards.
Known as ‘the Oscars of the travel industry’, the award recognises PromPeru’s diligent efforts to provide best-in-class service to the world’s travel trade.
Yet PromPeru recognises that it is its partnership with the travel trade, particularly travel agents, which has helped introduce thousands of visitors to the nation. “Agents selling Peru are generating strong results,” says Maria del Carmen de Reparaz, Director of Tourism promoting Peru.
In the past five years, PromPeru has strengthened its commercial channels by providing support to tourism businesses through strategic alliances in training, co-operative marketing campaigns and aggressive consumer advertising and public relations efforts. As a result, more tour operators and travel agents are selling Peru.
PromPeru’s success in creating sales environments that forge business relationships and foster deals was also recognised at World Travel Market 2012, when PromPeru’s booth was voted ‘Best Stand To Do Business’ by the organisation’s judges.
At ITB, one of the most important tourism shows in the world, PromPeru beat 36 countries in the region to win the award for “Best Stand in America and the Caribbean.” These awards are given by the Cologne Business School, one of the most prestigious business schools in Germany.
This year, PromPeru will unveil a new booth design which is sure to impress both the judges and travel industry as it is paraded to 19 tourism industry shows in America, Europe, Asia and Oceania.
Peru’s innovative advertising campaign, “Empire of Hidden Treasures,” which is packaged like a movie trailer, has captivated and excited visitors worldwide. More than 245 million people in 12 countries have already seen the new campaign.
This year, consumers in China and Japan will get a glimpse of what consumers in the United States and Canada, along with those in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, France, Germany, Spain and Italy, have already seen.
The advertising campaign itself has already been touted as an award winner, bringing home a “best in class” award at the International Tourism Show of Catelonia (SITC).
While competition is strong, Peru’s aggressive approach to destination marketing will propel the nation toward its goal of welcoming 3.2 million visitors with an economic impact of US$4.3 million by 2015.
– BERNAMA
