Cusco tourism office proposes alternative trail to Machu Picchu

An alternative hiking trail to Machu Picchu is being proposed by the head of Cusco’s Regional Office for Foreign Trade and Tourism, Víctor Hugo Pérez, to allow tourists access to the sacred Inca citadel earlier than expected. Pérez said that if the Piso de Valle trail is approved by the Machu Picchu Management Unit, UNM, the citadel could [...]

APEC Tourism Workshop opens in Cusco against backdrop of endangered sites

Peru’s minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Martín Pérez, opened the 35th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation’s Working Group meeting Thursday in Cusco. The meeting is being held in the Sacred Valley, with 85 representatives attending from 21 APEC nations. The APEC forum accounts for 50 percent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product.

More than 800,000 tourists have visited Peru since January

More than 800,000 tourists – mostly from the U.S., Ecuador, Argentina and Chile – have visited Peru since January, reported the Andean country’s Immigration Ministry on Thursday. According to the Ministry, some 184,00 Americans, 60,000 Ecuadorians, 48,500 Argentineans and 46,600 Chileans have spent time visiting some of Peru’s natural and architectural wonders. And, more than [...]

Peruvian luxury hotels lower rates by up to 50 percent

As a result of the global financial crisis and in an attempt to stimulate demand throughout months that are usually considered Peru’s “peak tourist season,” the price of numerous luxury hotel rooms and flights has been sharply reduced in the Andean country. “This is an indication that the crisis is affecting tourists here and abroad,” [...]

Tourist guides continue protests at Historical Sanctuary of Machu Picchu

Dozens of professional tourist guides organized a peaceful demonstration on Wednesday in the Historical Sanctuary of Machu Picchu – Peru’s top tourist attraction – to protest a congressional bill designed to open up their profession to people who have not been formally trained as guides, reported daily El Comercio. Of the 50 authorized guides in [...]

Mountain Lodges of Peru wins Germany’s TO DO! contest for socially responsible Tourism

Mountain Lodges of Peru,  which offers treks and horse riding routes in southern Peru, is one of three winners of this year’s To Do! 2008 prize, given by Germany’s Institute for Tourism and Development. The award is given in recognition of initiatives in socially responsible tourism. “MLP’s objective is to combine an upmarket tourism product [...]

Ramon Castilla’s Dream

By Paul Goulder On March 6 Capt. Carlos Saavedra stepped down from his command of the oldest working single-screw iron ship in the world, the Yavari. We might say that she is, together with her sister ship the Yapura (today the Navy’s BAP Puno), not only the oldest but also the “highest” in the world [...]

National Chamber of Tourism sees global financial crisis as window of opportunity for thriving Peruvian travel industry

Hoping that Latin America will become the world’s next tourism hot-spot, Peru’s National Chamber of Tourism has called for continued and expanded investment ahead of the financial global crisis, considered to be a golden window of opportunity for Peru’s booming tourism industry. “It’s the ideal moment for investment,” said the President of Peru’s National Chamber [...]

New train companies to compete on the Machu Picchu line

One new company, possibly two, will be competing with Peru Rail later this year, providing more railroad services on the highly-prized line to the pre-hispanic citadel of Machu Picchu, Peru’s key tourist attraction. The first company to be granted the license is Inca Rail, formed by the Peruvian company Grupo Crosland and Turistren of Colombia [...]

New Vice Minister of Tourism

Pablo Lopez de Romaña, former national director of tourism, has been appointed vice-minister of tourism in the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism. He succeeds Eduardo Arrarte, who has resigned to return to the private sector. Lopez de Romaña, as also Arrarte, is a keen birdwatcher and has a particular interest in promoting Peru as [...]

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