Country hosts its first show dedicated to outdoor exploration
Peruvian tourism board PromPeru wants more of those who visit Peru to work their way into the northern part of the country and has just demonstrated its commitment to promoting that often dramatic part of the Latin American nation by choosing it for the first showcase devoted entirely to outdoor exploration in Peru.
Tourism officials chose the city of Huaraz for the inaugural Peru Outdoor Expo early this month, with PromPeru director of tourism promotion Maria Del Sol Velasquez Garcia praising the region’s spectacular, mountainous backdrop.
Tourism officials concede that the northern part of the country sees fewer visitors than some more southerly locales, such as the region that Inca sites of Cusco and Machu Picchu – generally seen as iconic of Peruvian tourism – are found in.
“Peru is known for culture but I think we have a great product with adventure and nature,” Del Sol Velasquez Garcia told Travel Courier during the show. “We know that Machu Picchu is our jewel but there are many more things in Peru.”
Delegates to Peru Outdoor Expo were among things taken to Huascaran National Park, home to snow-capped mountains, including Huascaran, at 6,768 meters the highest mountain in Peru.
Del Sol Velasquez Garcia also noted there’s a wealth of archeological sites in northern Peru that well-predate Machu Picchu and the rise of the Incas. “If you want to see the beginning of (civilizations in Peru) you have to go to the North.”
Peru last year hosted 74,994 Canadians, a 60% increase from 2023. Tourism officials are upbeat about Air Transat’s continuing to serve Lima from Montreal and Toronto and Air Canada’s plan to restart Toronto-Lima service in December.
Del Sol Velasquez Garcia said the selection of Pope Leo XIV earlier this year was a positive for Peru, with the America-born Pontiff – who acquired Peruvian citizenship – having spent much of his life in northern Peru and frequently expressing his appreciation for it.
“The love that this Pope has for Peru is amazing,” Del Sol Velasquez Garcia said. “He spent more time in Peru than the United States.”
PromPeru decided to create a route linking the northern Peruvian cities Leo XIV worked in before becoming Pope, a route already attracting Catholic pilgrims.
Del Sol Velasquez Garcia also noted much of her homeland is Amazon jungle, providing a shelter to monkeys, toucans, jaguars and other exotic creatures.
Upscale Amazon jungle lodges and river cruises are available, providing a “very nice experience with nature” in an “incredibly diverse” part of the world, she said.
“The feeling you have when you’re in the Amazon is just incredible,” she added.
Peru Outdoor Expo attendees were told by Diego Arelano, senior marketing manager for the Adventure Travel Trade Association, that Peruvian mountains are lofty peaks that have served as a home to storied civilizations. “Don’t just think about the trekking. Think about the culture (too),” he advised.
Meanwhile, North American travel industry personnel who attended Peru Outdoor Expo said they were won over by the region.
Stephanie Rudolph of Los Angeles-based Yampu gave the thumbs-up to northern Peru, which she suggested is “under-appreciated” by those planning a Peru vacation.
“I think it’s our responsibility in the travel industry to make people aware of how accessible it is,” she said.
Anas Rawa of London, Ont.’s Off the Map Adventures – who participated in a northern Peru fam trip before the show – in turn told a gathering during the fam that the North “is really a beautiful part of the world. I hope it stays as beautiful as it is right now.”
