In this context, Travel2latam spoke with Max Rodríguez, Director of the Peruvian Commercial Office in Miami (Promperú).
What is it like to be here at this event?
We are pleased to be here at IBTM once again promoting Peru as a destination for MICE tourism, and within that context, as Promperú we have chosen Mexico and IBTM to launch our first international campaign for MICE tourism, which we are calling “Meaningful Meetings in Peru”, showing that Peru is not just a tourist destination; it is a place where culture, nature, history and gastronomy converge, and where five locations have been chosen that are very much geared towards meeting tourism: Lima, Ica, Loreto, Arequipa and Cusco, each with its own peculiarities.
Lima, the capital of Peru, with an important cultural and gastronomic offer, as well as annexed archaeological sites of high value and probably the city with the greatest gastronomic culture in South America, is undoubtedly one of the most important in the world. Let us not forget that last year Central was considered the best restaurant in the world, this year Maido has been in the top five in the world and within the 50 best in Latin America. Peru always has five or six restaurants, all from Lima, so there is a significant bet.
Loreto: We are talking about the Amazon, a different destination, little known, little explored, but when you see these Amazon lodges where the cabins are in the treetops and the cabins are connected by hanging bridges and you can go down and then go on a cruise, which is a boutique cruise for 40 people where you sleep and wake up in your room and pull back the curtain and find yourself with the entire Amazon, the Amazon River at your feet, it is something that is truly incomparable.
Arequipa has all the gastronomic and cultural offerings that the so-called White City of Peru has. Ica has its deserts and all the very good hotels, and Cusco has the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, along with the top 10 Hotels in the World, all in the Sacred Valley.
The goal is to showcase this convergence of culture, gastronomy, nature and history that Peru offers, because we must not forget that, just like Mexico, which hosts us today, Mexico and Peru are one of the six countries that are the cradles of humanity's civilization, and that allows us to offer a range of culture and history that is added to this natural offering that generates a complete experience, which is precisely what MICE tourism seeks.
Why have you decided to focus entirely on this segment?
We focus a lot on MICE tourism for several reasons. First, because it is known worldwide that an event tourist spends 50% more than a conventional tourist. In the case of Peru, it is more than double, but worldwide it is 50%.
Number two, of those event tourists who come to a country, 40% return, but now with their family to enjoy it in a conventional way, it is the best way to promote themselves.
And number three, because you sell experiences that bring everything together, but in the Peruvian case we also bet a lot on sustainability. We try to sell unique experiences like being in Arequipa and seeing these people who work with alpacas and how they shear the fine hair, how they work it. That is, to take away a complete experience so that when they buy an alpaca garment they see that it is not something like cotton that goes into a cotton gin, but that behind it there is a whole process that generates a virtuous circle that helps more than 16 million people who live off of tourism in Peru.
There is a whole important group of people who can make a living from tourism and in that sense MICE tourism helps us a lot.
Are all the destinations that are eligible the ones you mentioned?
No, in fact there are more capable destinations, but we always have to prioritize and we always want to promote the decentralization of tourism.
What does decentralization of tourism mean?
Promote more than Cusco, because Cusco will always be promoted because Machu Picchu is one of the seven New Wonders of the World, and by default people have it in their Top of Mind. So we seek to make other destinations known, such as Ica, Arequipa, Lima and Loreto. And after those destinations have become known, we will start betting on new ones. But we also have to develop the complete package.
Last year, one of the most important energy companies in Mexico came with a delegation of 340 people, so it was interesting because it was the largest delegation, but that implies a hotel for 340 people, restaurants, Camachu Picchu tickets, a train for 340 people, it's all an effort, but it was done, it was achieved successfully and other companies that do the same have seen that it was possible. So that positive effect is generated, which is what we seek a lot when we promote meeting tourism.
We have been working on MICE for a while, but now we are under a new structure or campaign. The MICE area within Promperú was created 11 years ago, but this campaign “Meaningful Meetings in Peru” is the first international campaign that we have carried out in Peru as MICE tourism and I am pleased that it was Mexico and that the IBTM was the stage where it was chosen for the launch on Wednesday, August 21, inviting people to discover the wide range of destinations that can be found in Peru.
What is the main reason why someone has to do an event in Peru?
Peru is a destination that offers everything you could possibly want. It is an experience that you must live before you die.