Promperú was present at IBTM Americas in CDMX 2023

Within the framework of this renowned event, Travel2latam had the opportunity to speak with María Teresa Villana, Economic and Commercial Advisor of Peru in Mexico.

What is the state of tourism in Peru?

The tourism sector was hit hard within the framework of the pandemic and specifically this very specialized line of work of congresses and conventions was the one that was permanently paralyzed due to restrictions in closed places. After that time, the level of visits to Lima, Cusco, Arequipa and Loreto has been recovering, which are sites that cover the three regions of Peru, that is: coast, mountains and jungle or Amazonia. 

On the coast are the dunes, which are a spectacular setting for conferences, since you do not need to be in a traditional closed venue, but very friendly tents are set up in the dune mountains and it is in high demand in the mountain areas. We also have spectacular hotels in Loreto, which are basically for incentive trips, since it does not have a developed hotel infrastructure to hold a large congress, but it does have luxury cruises that are in high demand, especially post-pandemic. After so many months locked up, everyone wanted to go out into nature and have more coexistence in the natural environment, so we have promoted that and it has gone very well for us. To get to this specific area you have to arrive by air, which is why it also has tickets at very special rates, because the only way to get there is by cruise ship. We have four local cruises going there that tour the Amazon, the experience provided with its capacity of between 28 and 25 rooms is truly extraordinary.

What are the axes in which Promperú works in Mexico?

We have three axes in Mexico such as Promperú, which is the acronym corresponding to the Commission for the Promotion of Peru for Exports and Tourism, but in addition to promoting Peruvian exports to the Mexican market, we promote tourist destinations in the Mexican market so that there are more flow of Mexican tourists visiting Peru, whether incentive or for conventions. We also promote investments and Mexico has a good capital of almost 18,000 million dollars invested in Peru on a private-business basis. Mexico as a market is prioritized in all fields and responds very well to all the promotional activities that we have carried out in recruiting the different states.

What type of promotional activities do Promperú carry out?

Within our work is to identify the different fairs for the presentation of the Peruvian offer and in this case for Mexico we have identified the IBTM, which we have been participating in since 2017 supporting the Peruvian company, and Forum, which on this occasion we are with the largest delegation. numerous since previous years, before we participated with 10 companies and now there are 20, and within that delegation we have two specialized Convention Bureaus that have greatly contributed to the development of the MICE sector in recent years. We must highlight the work carried out by the Lima Convention Bureau and the Loreto Convention Jury precisely because post-pandemic the Amazon region was highly promoted and Mexico is demanding the use of these cruises that are present there.

What industrial markets do you promote to hold your events in Peru?

All regions are prioritized. The capital, Lima, where the majority of hotel offerings are concentrated, meets the requirements established by the system to apply to a congress and a convention. Cusco and Arequipa also have the hotel infrastructure to host conventions and congresses.

Are you developing any type of promotion at the country level?

We have developed two campaigns here in Mexico: Wake up Peru and Dream, then travel. The idea is to evolve so that tourists regain confidence in Peru and feel that their stay is going to be pleasant and safe.

What are the highlights that make a Mexican make the decision to have an event in Peru?

Year ago we were gradually reporting how Peru was progressing and advancing to recover tourism by the end of 2019, a year in which with Mexico we grew 25%, in 2019 the sustained growth was between 9 and 10% in 2019 already incorporating by that time two years of support to the MICE sector. In addition, we have references from companies that are here at IBTM Americas that are very satisfied, because if they had eight appointments scheduled for the morning, they have obtained 14 or 15, that is, more people are interested in Peru.