Known for the world famous Machu Picchu, Peru is now promoting itself as all-round destination in India market. As per the trends, earlier travellers used to combine multiple destinations during travel to South America. Now, travellers are looking to explore more offerings in Peru.
Speaking about the growth from India market, Luis M Cabello, Economic and Commercial Counselor of Embassy of Peru in India, said, “The commercial office of Peru in India started its activities in 2014. That year we didn’t have more than 4,000 Indian travellers to Peru. Now, we have close to 8,000 Indian travellers going to Peru. We are growing by close to 22 per cent every year in India. Peru has something for all type of travellers. Earlier, the trend was that part of the India market preferred to go to a lot of countries at one trip, most popular circuit being Brazil, Argentina and Peru; sometimes Brazil, Argentina, Chile or Ecuador. It was a combination, now that situation has changed and many Indians are looking at Peru as a solo destination. We have everything to offer.”
Peru is now looking to promote destinations beyond Machu Picchu. The destination has a lot of offer such as culture, wildlife, adventure, nightlife, etc.. “Every Indian traveller wants to visit Machu Picchu. Now we are promoting beyond Machu Picchu. Our capital Lima has a lot of offer where one can stay for three nights to enjoy our culture as well as nightlife. We also have adventure offerings in Lima. Also Amazonian rainforests are a big attraction in Peru. Also Indians like to visit the Nazca lines. We also have a lot of trekking tracks, nature and wildlife. This year our slogan is the ‘Richest country in the world’, as we have everything for everyone,” Cabello said.
In Asia, China, South Korea and Japan are already established markets for Peru. The destination sees a lot of potential in developing India as one of the major source markets. “China, South Korea, Japan are big markets for Peru from Asia. Indian travellers are now growing rapidly; India has a lot more potential. In the years to come India will be one of our top consumer and supplier. We are doing a lot of online promotions. We have a good number of followers on social media. We are going to do some G2B meetings. We prefer to go to companies that are really interested in our destination and we are ready to do a lot of partnership with tour operators,” he added.
In terms of segments, Peru is not only looking for niche travellers but also the mid-market segment. “Peru is a new experience for Indian travellers. Peru is not expensive; the cost of living is moderate. We cater to all segments of travellers budget travellers to high end. We have a lot of luxury offerings in Peru as well, like we have one of the oldest restaurants in the world in Peru, which is a experience in itself,” Cabello added.
