With a focus on the Indian market, 14 tourism and hospitality stakeholder companies from Peru have come to India to participate in a two-city roadshow that debuts on Friday in Delhi and will take place on October 16 in Mumbai.

Calling India a key market with good potential, Promperu, the Commission for the Promotion of Peruvian Exports and Tourism, is organising a two-city roadshow in India with the objective to engage with the Indian travel trade and boost the number of visitors to India.

Addressing the media on the eve of the commencement of the roadshow, that kickstarts today in New Delhi, Peru’s Ambassador to India, Javier Paulinich Velarde said that as the political, cultural and business relations between Peru and India were strong and growing each year, the growth in number of Indian visitors to Peru would also grow.

Trade & Tourism Counsellor of Peru in India Luis Cabello along with Magali Rodriguez, Tourism Specialist of Promperu, made a detailed presentation about the various attractions and offers that Peru as a tourism destination had for visitors, especially the Indian visitors.

“Over the two days in New Delhi and Mumbai, our travel trade specialists, representing all tourism verticals including hotels, luxury trains and local transportation companies, will meet with their Indian counterparts and plan on increasing the number of Indian tourists visiting Peru,’’ said Cabello.

He said that he was enthusiastic about the possibilities of the Indian market and he wanted to see it grow over the pre-pandemic peak of 10,000 visitors in 2019 by at least 50 pc in 2024. “We are on track to recover our pre-pandemic numbers fully from India this year and next year we would like to see at least 15,000 Indian visitors,’’ Cabello told the media.

In her presentation, Promperu’s Tourism specialist Magali Rodriguez highlighted the various aspects of tourism that travellers can discover, varying sharply not just in landscape, altitude and the natural settings, but also in terms of experiences. She said she was keen to increase the duration of stay of Indian travellers to Peru. 

“Peru can be discovered and most of our experiences can be enjoyed ideally in two weeks. I would suggest that Indian travellers shiuld at least spend a week in the country,’’ Rodriguez said.

Cabello, who has been in India for over a decade, added that he has already seen a significant increase in the number of nights spent by Indian visitors in Peru. “Earlier, it was a trip to South America, with at least three countries, say Argentina, Brazil and Peru. But now we are seeing more and more people seeking to visit just Peru and have a good time there,’’ Cabello told the media.

In terms of connectivity, Cabello added that while there were no direct flights from India, most European cities offered excellent daily connections to Peru and which would mean only one change for Indian travellers. Alternatively, the Gulf carriers, Emirates, Qatar and Etihad also offered good connectivity, though via another South American airport, notably Rio de Janeiro.

Cabello added that while a visa to Peru takes about five working days, Indian visitors, with valid visas for the United States, United Kingdom, Schengen Area and Canada, can go to Peru without a visa.