09:56 | Lima, Sep. 03 (ANDINA).
Peru's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) has predicted that the country will receive three million foreign tourists this year and 3.8 million in 2016.
Addressing the Congress Committee on Foreign Trade and Tourism, Minister Magali Silva said the estimates are based on figures taken from the Central Reserve Bank (BCR), Ministry of Interior, Immigration Office and Mincetur.
"There will be an increase in [tourism] revenue and foreign tourist arrivals; we also expect favorable results from domestic tourism," she said on Monday.
Peru welcomed a total of 1,523,242 tourists in the first half of 2013, up 10.9 percent from the same period a year ago.
Silva noted that this growth rate is higher than those of neighboring Colombia (7.2 percent) and Ecuador (4.9 percent), adding that Peru recorded a 22 percent increase in tourism revenue between January and June this year.
"Not only has the number of visitors increased in the first half this year but also the average spending per visitor from 1,142 soles last year to 1,254 soles [in 2013]," she added.
(END) LVT/EEP
Published: 9/3/2013