A total 1,306,814 million foreign tourists flocked to Peru during the January-May 2014 period, the country's Foreign Trade and Tourism Ministry (Mincetur) has reported.
"The reported figure is higher by 42,083 travelers from abroad than the one recorded in the same period last year,” said Magali Silva, Mincetur’s head.
The top government official noted that the above-mentioned growth in foreign arrivals is explained by a sharp increase of tourists from Bolivia and some European countries, thus helping the country's tourism industry to expand.
Likewise, Silvia pointed out that Mexican visits to Peru shot up by 17% in the first year of the visa waiver between the Andean nation and Mexico.
Foreign tourist arrivals have increased over the past five years, going from 2.13 million in 2009 to 3.16 million last year. Chile was the largest source of tourists for Peru with 886,485 arrivals in 2013.
Peru hopes to draw over 3.5 million foreign visitors in 2014.
According to the latest WTTC research, Travel & Tourism accounts for 9% of the Andean country’s economy, generating one million jobs or one in 12 of all jobs in the country.
(END) DOP/DLG
Published: 7/19/2014