‘An Indian tourist should expect a long but rewarding journey in Peru’
Peru is an amazing destination that looks forward to Indians visiting the country post the crisis. Back in 2017 -19, Peru was gaining momentum amongst the Indian travellers who were on the look-out for exclusive experiences. In Peru, one will be surprised at the diversity and its immense tourist offerings, be it in cities or the rustic and rural countryside. Luis Cabello, Trade and Tourism Counsellor of Peru in India, recognises the potential of India as a key partner for trade and tourism opportunities and hopes to improve the Indian tourist numbers in the coming years.
QTell us about the present tourism situation in Peru?
The Government has opened international flights coming from countries with a maximum distance of eight hours. Passengers have to show a molecular test upon arrival and do not need to stay in quarantine if test results are negative.
The reopening of the Peruvian tourism icon Machu Picchu marks a milestone in the industry’s reactivation of our country, showing the world that given the permanent decline in COVID-19 cases and the implementation of protocols for tourism, we are prepared to receive travellers.
This is the most visible action of many others that the Peruvian government has been doing to reactivate tourism, one of the sectors most affected by the pandemic. The reactivation has also been initiated by launching the second phase of #DreamThenTravel international tourism campaign, which was recently announced. It is a 100 per cent digital campaign and available in eight languages with the purpose of keeping Peru in the mind of the world’s avid travellers.
QWhat has been your biggest challenge in navigating COVID-19 to date?
During the general lockdown, entries and exits from the country by air, land and sea were suspended, with an exception of special humanitarian cases, in addition to the transportation of certain cargo and merchandise. During this period, we took the opportunity to carry out virtual trainings aimed at the travel trade in strategic markets. We were able to train travel agents and operators across the globe in this endeavor.
Also, with the goal of reducing the negative impact suffered by tourism, a business support fund was created to support this sector and generate more than 30,000 jobs, promoting local economic development focused on micro and small enterprises.
QWhat programmes/ projects have the tourism board been working on (or your strategies) to be successful post-crisis?
Peru will promote sustainable tourism during the post-COVID-19 era through promotional actions in every market. Peru as a destination is committed towards this cause.
Our plan is to offer specialized options in varied segments such as culture, nature, adventure and gastronomy. Certain internationally-recognized experiences were already promoted, in alliance with prestigious associations like the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) and the Virtuoso Association, among others. Likewise, agreements with organizations that promote sustainability in the country were also established, such as the National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (SERNANP). The aim is to develop brand new destination content.
Furthermore, we will begin strategic alliances with global airlines in this period. We will also be further strengthening our presence in a network of more than 10 000 travel agencies around the globe. With these actions, we expect to have a positive impact towards the recovery of incoming tourism.
QAccording to you, what will tourists seek after many months of isolation and understanding the threat of the infection? What behavioral changes can you expect from the new tourist?
According to Travel Sentiment Study
Wave 20 (September), 67 per cent of people planning to travel in the next six months will change their travel plans due to the coronavirus. Of this group, 50 per cent of travelers reduced travel plans, 34 per cent cancelled trip completely, 33 per cent changed destination to one they can drive to as opposed to fly and 15 per cent changed their travel plans from an international destination to a domestic option. Evidently, Coronavirus is one of the big factors that will impact travel decisions in the coming months.
Also, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) indicated while the recovery of international tourism remains sluggish, demand for domestic tourism is rising in many large markets such as China where air capacity in July rebounded to around 90 per cent the level of 2019. In Russia, the air
capacity has also been underpinned by rising domestic travel.
There is an emerging preference for avoiding public transportation and other high-density transit hubs. Consequently, there is a noted decrease in the demand for on-the-go consumption. People will look for transportations with a lesser number of passengers and time on-board.
Though the domestic sector is the first to revive, and Peru is already taking strong initiatives to promote travel in this sector, we are gearing up towards the reopening of the international sector in due time. We are conscious of the fact that a prolonged period in quarantine has modified people’s prioritization of values, giving greater weight to personal well-being and sustainability. This will certainly impact the kind of activities which will gain momentum when they travel in the future. There will be a clear preference for outdoor activities in nature, indulging in adventure activities, in addition to wellness tourism and community tourism. Tourism in the new normal will entail greater planning and research, as it seeks sustainability and responsibility.
QHave Indian tourist footfalls been recorded in Peru, pre -COVID? Which are the countries from which Peru gets the most tourists?
Indian tourists have increasingly been visiting Peru in the last few years and the numbers have been steadily increasing. Between 2017 and 2019 the average growth rate of Indian travelers visiting Peru grew by 17.2 per cent. According to the data available from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru (MINCETUR), more than 9,500 Indians visited Peru till September of that year. Machu Picchu has been the main tourist icon for Indian tourists, but there is a clear trend of visitors spending most number of days in Peru in spite of opting for multicountry itineraries to Latin America.
In terms of tourists choosing to travel to Peru internationally, in 2019, most tourists came from our neighbouring countries (Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, or Brazil). From Europe, Spain was the country with the highest number of its travelers opting to travel to Peru.
QPeru is certainly a long-haul destination with more nights to spend! What should an Indian tourist expect in Peru? Like safety measures, climate, food, heritage culture, etc?
An Indian tourist should expect a long but rewarding journey. In Peru, he will find different types of climates- from very warm to very cold- as well as different regions (jungle, highlands and coast). Despite Machu Picchu being the most popular icon among Indian tourists, Peru offers a wide range of nature reserves, archaeological sites, and gastronomical delights.
We are proud to announce that Peru has recently been awarded the Safe Travel Stamp by the World Trade & Tourism Council (WTTC). It is a non-profit organization with more than 30 years of working in the travel and tourism sector which has laid down the bio-security guidelines for the reopening of destinations to tourism. Peru is the fifth country in Latin America to be awarded this stamp and is following the guidelines when reopening all sectors.
QAny other information that you would like to share with us?
Peru is committed to highlight the geography and nature that it has to offer to its visitors in the coming years and there is an extensive plan in place which includes the business and the travel sector alike. One of the segments to be strongly promoted would be sports tourism in Peru. The Lima 2019 Pan American Games allowed the country to consolidate the sports infrastructure available in the country and will also aid in further strengthening Peru as a MICE destination with ample options to hold meetings and conventions in the South American Pacific region.