Peru expected to receive 1.5 million foreign tourists by 2022

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The reactivation of the tourism sector continues and it is expected that the number of foreign visitors to Peru will increase this year, considering that in 2020 and 2021 the pandemic and health restrictions will affect tourism worldwide.

“For 2022, we expect to reach at least 1.5 million foreign tourists, which is a reasonable target,” the director of Peru’s Association of Incoming and Domestic Tour Operators (Apotur), Claudia Medina, told Andina Canal Online’s “TuristeANDO” program.

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“We had 4.5 million arrivals, that is, people coming to Peru from abroad (inbound tourism). Imagine that in 2020 the decrease was so drastic that we reached only 350,000, 8% of the number before the pandemic, and in 2021 we managed to double that number,” she added.

Claudia Medina stressed that tourism in Peru will continue to be reactivated, as we are in a post Covid-19 phase, after we had sanitary restrictions that affected the sector.

“However, we are already seeing the arrival of tourists from neighboring Latin American countries, as well as from the United States and Europe,” she said.

The director of Apotur pointed out that tourist attractions for foreign visitors are diverse, although in Cusco Machu Picchu is always preferred.

“The main attraction is, of course, Machu Picchu, but we also have to offer the wonderful things that our regions of Arequipa and Puno have to offer, so the southern part is well developed. But the northern area is also attractive,” she said.

Claudia Medina pointed out that a foreign tourist spends an average of US$950 when visiting Peru, according to statistics from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur).

“On average, a foreign tourist spends US$950 per stay, which is a considerable figure compared to what a local tourist spends (US$100),” she said.

“A foreign tourist comes to Peru for 7 to 10 days at different times of the year, while a domestic tourist travels occasionally when there are sporadic holidays,” she added.