Living in Peru : your everyday companion

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

The president of Peru Hotels Society (SHP), José Koechlin, said that domestic tourism should be the base of receptive tourism.

During the inauguration of the first Workshop "The Best of Peru," he said that domestic tourism needs to be built in Peru, and that the purchasing power of Peruvians has doubled in the last six years.

"This means that the domestic tourism offer has to respond to the increasing quality of life among Peruvians," Koechlin said, pointing out at the fact that now more Peruvian tourists are able to luxury hotels' fees.

However, there are also many packaged-tourist offers for all socioeconomic segments of the country.

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According to El Comercio, the negotiations began in April of 2009. Inversiones Castelar, the operator of the commercial center Sur Plaza Boulevard (SPB) in the beach resort Asia, acquired in September of this year the license for the Spanish franchise París Dakart, which specializes in Go-Karts. Inversiones Castelar will invest close to US$1.5 million in the project.

“We hope that out of the two million visitors that we expect to have during the 2009 to 2010 season, at least 20% will use the Go-Karts,” says the commercial manager of SPB Diego Prado. The project takes up 20,000m2, and will be known as the Circuito Movistar. It is already under construction, and will open during the first week of December, with at least 30 karts to be brought from France.

There will also be a Sports Bar with conference rooms on the first floor, and a restaurant and other attractions on the second floor. This is one of the first projects that SPB has begun, after they have worked with a consulting group to improve their numbers during the early spring and winter months.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peruvian airport concessionaire Aeropuertos del Perú (ADP) submitted a project to expand Pisco airport (Ica region) to Peru's Transports and Communications Ministry, in accordance with Peru's legal regulations.

The project, that implies an investment of US $45 million, will be under evaluation, but the Minister Enrique Cornejo said he expects to have it approved by December.

This project, which considers building a new terminal and additional buildings, will turn Pisco Airport into an alternative airport for low-cost flights.

A better airport would help boost Pisco's development, as it would increase commercial and tourist activity.

The new terminal could start operating by 2012, when a Lima-Pisco highway is expected to be ready, too.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

According to Peru.com,  luxury tourism is still booming in Peru despite the international financial crisis, and the average daily per capita expenditure reaches up to $1,000.

Quoting Martín Pérez, Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, the average daily per capita expenditure in this group of tourists has increased by 40% during the last five years.

"These tourists usually stay between three or seven days, and they spend almost US $1,000 per day in lodging, meals and transportation," he said.

The main destination for these tourists is at present Machu Picchu (Cusco), followed by the Sacred Valley and Sacsayhuamán.

Another destinations with luxury tourism are Lima, Arequipa, Puno and Nazca.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Junin's Regional Directorate of Foreign Trade and Tourism reported that it is planning to invest more than 11 million soles by the year 2010 in the enhancement of Yanamarca's Valley archaeological and cultural heritage, and in the recovery of the historic area of the province of Jauja.

Silvia Salas Alvarado, the Director, said that these projects, whose implementation is supposed to last three years, aim to increase tourism in the region, and to improve the quality of life of the residents within the five districts located in the Yanamarca Valley; Tunanmarca, Pomacancha, Marco, Janjaillo and Acolla.

"The regional government has allocated a budget of S/.6 million soles, while for the recovery of Jauja's historic downtown we have a budget of S/.5 million soles," the official explained.

Salas Alvarado said that all this work will be focused around the archaeological complex of Tunanmarca, which will be also equipped with a museum.

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Andina

Over 2,000 people will participate of the EcoAventura Peru 2009 marathon to be held tomorrow and the day after, and will have as scenario the native Andean forests of Pacobamba (Apurimac), reported Ricardo Castillo, president of KNK Producciones, company organizer of the event.

This event is taking place for the second time with the support of the district municipality of Pacobamba, the Regional Program Ecobona, the regional government of Apurimac and companies that have contributed with this activity.

“This event does not only have as objective to promote sports in the highlands, but it also has a message of the importance of taking care of the environment and in this case the preservation of the Andean forests,” he told Andina.

Likewise, he said that this activity has created great expectation among local population and other parts of the country interest in participating in the marathon that will test hundreds of athletes.

The athletes will have to beat all the obstacles of the difficult and rough circuit that begins in Llacctapata at 700 meters above sea level.

Registrations will take place at the facilities of the municipality of Pacobamba. For more information call the telephones numbers 083-324926 (Abancay) or 421-7958 (Lima).

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's protected areas generate more than US $150 million dollars in tourism revenues each year, and it is expected that this number could double during the next years if a responsible management of the ecosystem is encouraged, in order to give a better quality of life to local peoples, said the Environment Minister Antonio Brack.

"Tourism in protected areas produce US $150 millions annually, and this provides quality drinking water, electricity and other services for more than 2.5 million Peruvians,” said Brack, after a seminar organized by the United Nations Program for the Environment (UNEP).

He said that this tourism is increasing and that activities like bird watching are a good example of that in the route Chiclayo-Olmos-Yurimaguas.

“This tendency is likely to grow in the same direction,” said Garrido Lecca.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru´s Foreign Trade and Tourism Ministry (Mincetur) reported today that Bolivia and Ecuador were the most-booked international destinations among Peruvian tourists in the Latin American Andean region, with a record of 151,377 and 75,937 tourists each, according to Enrique Garrido Lecca, a representative from Mincetur.

Garrido Lecca also said that this tendency is becoming more visible and continuous since 2004, and that Bolivia and Ecuador are followed by Colombia not only as the main Andean touristic destinations for Peruvian, but also as the Latin American countries that send more tourists to Peru.

“This tendency is likely to grow in the same direction,” said Garrido Lecca.

(Foto: Erik de León)

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

“Almost 30% of the tourists that arrive in Peru take part in activities of rural tourism,” said Roger Valencia, the Director of Auqui Mountain Spirit E.I.R.L., during his lecture in the tourism congress “Tourism Growth Based on Competition and Sustainability.”

During the congress, organized and held by the University of Sciences (UPC) in Lima, Valencia also said that the challenge that rural tourism presents is “to change the idea that 'someone else' can do what needs to be done.”

“The people do not lack the knowledge; what they lack is a market. So why don't we try to make a FTA with the communities?” asked Valencia.

Valencia also remarked that rural tourism projects must offer products that can sustain  themselves for a long time, and also should start offering products for all types of tourists.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peruvian Deputy Minister of Tourism, Pablo López de Romaña, announced that the authorities are evaluating the possibility of starting night tours to Machu Picchu, which would come into effect sometime between next December and April 2010.

According to López de Romaña, the aim is to increase the visiting hours beyond 4:00 p.m.

"We are planning a new presentation of Machu Picchu, giving it a proper illumination. Tourists and visitors want to have a picture of the site. This has been a good year, and we think 2010 will be a better one", said López de Romaña.

According to a 2004 study made by INC-Cusco, the daily amount of tourists to Machu Picchu should not be more than 2,500 persons; however, a recent research indicated that there will be between 4,000 and 5,000 daily visitors in the following years.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.