A PERUVIAN PARADISE

WORDS VARUN GODINHO

Peru is rebuilding its tourism industry – helped along the way by the recognition it received once again at the 2022 World Travel Awards

In 2019, the year before the pandemic shut down the world, Peru welcomed 4.4 million international tourists. Its foreign capital revenue from tourism that year stood at US$4.7 billion. The pandemic meant that the third-largest country in South America, and the 20th biggest in the world, was forced to curb tourism. However, in November last year, the country finally lifted all travel restrictions, thereby paving the way for its tourism sector to make a sustained recovery in 2023.

Interest in Peru, specifically from the GCC countries, is on the rise. That was evident from the Peru pavilion which was present at the Expo 2020 Dubai which concluded last year, but not before the Andean nation registered over 1.7 million visitors to its pavilion during the six-month expo. The pavilion was cloaked in textiles and visitors had to make their way across a handwoven rope bridge that paid tribute to Queshuachaca, the last surviving Inca rope bridge. The pavilion also highlighted the natural biodiversity of the country and its rainforests which are rich with wildlife.

The GCC once again rose to prominence on Peru’s radar recently during the prestigious World Travel Awards which was held in Muscat, the capital of Oman, in November. At the 29th edition of the World Travel Awards, Peru came away with three gongs, one each for the World’s Leading Culinary Destination 2022, the World’s Leading Cultural Destination 2022 and the World’s Leading Tourist Attraction 2022 - Machu Picchu.

Peru has previously featured in the awards. In fact, it has been awarded as the winner of the World’s Leading Culinary Destination category on ten occasions, while Machu Picchu has been chosen as the World’s Leading Tourist Attraction five times, and the country has also been recognised as the

FROM TOP: Machu Picchu; Peru’s vibrant culinary scene has attracted a global audience; Peru’s rainforests are rich with wildlife World’s Leading Cultural Destination on four occasions. Machu Picchu, surrounded by forests in the province of Urubamba, receives approximately 1.5 million visitors per year. As a construction of the Inca Empire, it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983 and remains a major attraction in Peru. Peru’s vibrant culinary scene meanwhile has attracted a global audience. There are over 2,500 varieties of quinoa that originate in the Andes and superfoods such as purple corn grown in Peru are used to create a drink that is rich in antioxidants. Peru’s culinary expertise has also been successfully exported to countries around the world – not least the UAE, where there are over 15 Peruvian restaurants including the likes of Coya in Dubai, Inka Dubai located in Sofitel Dubai Downtown and Inti Dubai which is housed in The Dubai Edition hotel. Alvaro Silva-Santisteban, director of the Commission for the Promotion of Peru for Export and Tourism (PromPeru) in the GCC, who received the awards on behalf of his country in Muscat, said, “The recognition of our exquisite cuisine validates the uniqueness and diversity of our sustainable products, [and] the evolution of our chefs and their crafts to deliver only the best.”

Gripping natural biodiversity, stunning cultural sites and exquisite culinary creations offer plenty of reasons for Peru to once again become a sought-after destination for GCC travellers this year.