You have held virtually every senior technical role in tourism promotion that PromPerú offers — from Country Image Specialist to Strategic Alliances Coordinator to Sub-Director to Director. Most people in your position arrived from diplomacy or politics. You arrived from inside the institution itself. What does Peru’s tourism strategy look like when the person leading it actually built it from the ground up?

What makes a difference is that I understand the institution not only from the strategic level, but also from the operational side. I have seen how tourism promotion is built day by day from designing campaigns, co-marketings to managing international markets. That gives me a very grounded perspective on what works, what doesn’t, and what Peru truly needs to position itself competitively.

For me, Peru’s tourism strategy has to be ambitious and realistic. Ambitious because Peru has one of the most diverse and powerful tourism offerings in the world; realistic because sustainable growth only happens when promotion is connected to infrastructure, connectivity, regional development, and the experience visitors actually have once they arrive.

Having grown within the institution also means I value continuity. Many strategies in public institutions change with every administration, but tourism promotion requires long-term vision. Building a country brand, positioning destinations, and earning international trust takes years of consistent work.

At the same time, I believe the future of Peru’s tourism promotion must become more data-driven, more decentralized, and more focused on high-value experiences. Travelers today are looking for authenticity, sustainability, culture, gastronomy, nature, and meaningful connections. Peru already has all of that — our challenge is to communicate it better, diversify the destinations we promote, and ensure tourism creates real opportunities for local communities.

In the end, leading tourism promotion after growing inside the institution gives you something very important: you never lose sight of the people behind the strategy. Tourism is not only about numbers or campaigns; it is about communities, entrepreneurs, artisans, guides, regional governments, and thousands of Peruvians whose livelihoods depend on how well we tell the story of our country to the world.

Peru sits at roughly 80% of its pre-pandemic visitor numbers — but the foreign exchange earnings from tourism are already exceeding 2019 benchmarks. That means fewer people are spending more money per visit. Is that a recovery story or actually — a better story than the one Peru had before the pandemic?

Peru’s tourism recovery is not only about returning to pre-pandemic levels, it is also about evolving toward a higher-value tourism model. By the end of 2025, Peru recovered close to 80% of its pre-pandemic International visitor arrivals. At the same time, tourism foreign exchange earnings ended the year 13% above pre-pandemic figures. In other words, even with fewer international visitors compared to 2019, Peru generated higher tourism revenues.

What this reflects is a clear shift in traveler behavior. Today’s visitors are staying longer, spending more, and seeking authentic, premium, and experience-driven travel, that includes activities from gastronomy and cultural immersion to nature and community-based tourism. Peru is particularly well positioned in these segments because of its unique diversity and globally recognized tourism offerings.

So this is certainly a recovery story, but it is also a transformation story. Before the pandemic, success was often measured primarily by volume. Today, the focus is increasingly on value: attracting higher-spending travelers, extending length of stay, diversifying destinations, and generating a more sustainable economic impact across the country.

In that sense, Peru is not simply recovering, it is emerging with a tourism model that is more resilient, diversified, and aligned with global travel trends than the one it had before the pandemic.

You stood at a public summit and said plainly that Peru must address costs for tourists. That is a rare moment of institutional candor. What specifically is too expensive, who controls those prices, and what can be done about it?

It is important to speak openly about the challenges we face as a destination if we want Peru to remain competitive Internationally. When I refer to costs, I was mainly talking about factors that influence the overall travel experience, particularly International and domestic flights.

Those prices are not controlled by a single institution. They are influenced by global aviation dynamics, fuel prices, airport infrastructure, operational costs, market competition, and decisions made by different public and private stakeholders across the tourism value chain.

What I can do from the tourism promotion side is work closely with the sector to strengthen demand, improve destination positioning, diversify the tourism offer, and encourage greater connectivity. A more competitive and diversified market ultimately creates better conditions for travelers.

At the same time, Peru continues to offer exceptional value because visitors are not only choosing a destination, they are accessing a world-class combination of culture, gastronomy, nature, history, and authenticity. Our challenge is ensuring that the experience feels increasingly accessible, seamless, and competitive from the first moment travelers consider visiting Peru.

Machu Picchu received 1.5 million visitors in just the first ten months of 2025. It is one of the most visited, most photographed, most written-about sites on earth. For a BajaTraveler® reader who has already been — or who refuses to fight the crowds — what is the Peru that exists beyond Machu Picchu that most of the world has simply never heard of?

Machu Picchu is our signature destination, but we offer several other regions across the country that deliver an equally unforgettable traveler experience. Such as:

Lima, The Peruvian capital offers art, fashion, music, culture and endless nights. Known as the City of Kings, is rich in colonial and pre-Hispanic sites and has the best gastronomy in South America.

Arequipa, Is known as the “White City” for its baroque-architecture buildings made with white volcanic rock. Located in the southern highlands of Peru, Arequipa features breathtaking views of the three surrounding volcanoes and the snowcapped peaks of the western Andes.

Ancash, Located in the central part of Peru, offers a captivating blend of natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, and is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts and adventure seekers.

Puno, where is located the mystical Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, Puno is home to indigenous communities that continue to preserve their ancestral customs, including colorful festivals, textile weaving, and traditional music and dance.

Ica, with its vast desert dunes, verdant valleys and stunning coastline along the Pacific Ocean, offers a plethora of attractions for travelers seeking adventure, relaxation and cultural immersion. Visitors can explore the Huacachina Oasis, a desert oasis surrounded by sand dunes.

Beyond its iconic landscapes, Peru boasts a rich tapestry of ancient civilizations that began in the Andean highlands over ten thousand years ago. Today, travelers can immerse themselves in this living legacy. Our pre-Inca archaeological sites are truly breathtaking—from the Kuelap Fortress, cradled high in the northern cloud forests, to Caral, the oldest civilization in the Americas and a contemporary of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Further south, the mysterious Nazca Lines stretch across the desert floor, featuring massive geoglyphs of hummingbirds, monkeys, and serpents that still baffle the world.

For thrill-seekers, Peru is an absolute paradise. Whether you are looking for extreme sports or immersive outdoor activities, the country offers world-class trekking, mountaineering, mountain biking, surfing, paragliding, canoeing, and kayaking.

Nature lovers will also find a sanctuary here. As one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth, Peru is home to 84 of the world’s 117 life zones. This incredible natural wealth is protected across a vast network of national parks, reserves, and sanctuaries, alongside communal reserves dedicated to wildlife conservation and supporting local communities. To top it all off, Peru is a global hotspot for birdwatching, proudly holding the second-highest number of bird species on the planet.

You launched Film in Peru as a formal promotion strategy — citing that 80 million travelers worldwide were inspired by films and series to visit a destination. The Paddington in Peru film was projected to reach 27 million people. Has it worked? Are you seeing Paddington tourists arriving in Lima?

Yes, the launch of Film in Peru has been an important step in positioning Peru through screen tourism, and the initial response has been very positive. Globally, Film tourism has become an increasingly important trend worldwide, with millions of travelers choosing destinations inspired by movies and television series. In that context, the launch of Film in Peru represents a strategic initiative to position Peru as both a filming destination and a travel destination inspired by storytelling and cinematic experiences.

The release of Paddington in Peru has generated strong international visibility for the country, especially in key markets such as the UK. While it is still early to measure the full long-term impact, we are already seeing growing interest from travelers who associate Peru with the film and wish to experience the destinations featured on screen.

Between May 1st 2024 to April 30 th 2025 Peru’s destination reputation for film tourism was clearly marked by the release of “Paddington in Peru”, especially in terms of conversational volume, in this period of time, Peru was mentioned 8.3K times in social conversations in relation to film tourism, generating 57.3K engagements shared by 5.2K unique authors from 104 countries.

More importantly, productions such as Paddington help strengthen Peru’s image as a welcoming, family-friendly and diverse destination. Through Film in Peru, we aim to continue attracting international productions that not only showcase the country to global audiences, but also inspire future travelers to discover Peru firsthand.

Peruvian gastronomy has won Best Culinary Destination in Latin America, Lima holds UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy status, and you are taking the Perú Mucho Gusto fair to Madrid, New York, and Rio de Janeiro. But when a traveler from San Diego sits down at a Lima restaurant for the first time — what is the single dish, the single flavor, the single moment that makes them understand why the world is talking about Peruvian food?

Peru has become one of the world’s leading culinary destinations. Lima is considered the culinary capital of Latin America, Arequipa was recognized by UNESCO as a Creative City of Gastronomy and Ceviche was recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

When someone from San Diego arrives in Lima and sits at a Peruvian table for the first time, they discover a cuisine born from one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth. Perú is where the Pacific Ocean, the Andean Mountains, and the Amazon rainforest come together to create an unmatched natural pantry: thousands of native potatoes, ancient grains like quinoa and kiwicha, unique ají peppers, exotic Amazonian fruits, world-class coffee and cacao, superfoods cultivated for centuries, and ingredients whose flavors cannot exist anywhere else.

But the magic of Peruvian gastronomy goes beyond biodiversity. It is the result of thousands of years of ancestral knowledge combined with centuries of migration. Indigenous traditions met influences from Spain, Africa, China, Japan, and Italy, creating a cuisine that is both deeply rooted in history and constantly evolving.

Also, our chefs transform traditional recipes into world-class culinary experiences while honoring the farmers, fishermen, producers, and communities behind every ingredient. They take ancestral flavors and reinterpret them with innovation, technique, and artistry that place Peruvian cuisine among the best in the world.

And somewhere during that experience (perhaps through the freshness of a ceviche, perhaps through the aroma of Amazonian cacao, the complexity of a high-altitude coffee, or the elegance of a perfectly crafted Pisco cocktail) travelers understand why Perú has become a global culinary destination, because Peruvian cuisine is not simply about eating, it is about tasting the richness of an entire country, its history, its people, and its identity in a single unforgettable experience.

The new Jorge Chávez International Airport is the infrastructure centerpiece of your entire recovery strategy. You have staked your 4.4 million visitor target on it. Now that it is operational — is it delivering what Peru needed, and what routes or markets has it unlocked that were simply impossible before?

The objective is to decentralize air traffic, reduce travel times and costs, and boost regional economies. In this process, PROMPERÚ plays a strategic role by promoting the sustainability of new routes through international promotion actions. In addition, we actively participate in connectivity events such as Routes Americas and Routes World, where we hold meetings with airlines and airports to present the potential of Peru, facilitating the entry of new airlines, more frequencies and direct routes for travelers. Additionally, we are not only seeking to attract new routes, but also positioning Peru as a destination and hub for aviation industry discussions. By hosting major events such as the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Latin America & Caribbean 2025, IATA World Cargo Symposium, and WAGA 2026, Peru brings together key aviation stakeholders to showcase its infrastructure and growth potential firsthand.

We are improving our connectivity with North America. In December 2025, Delta Air Lines began the Salt Lake City–Lima route. It is the first time that this American city establishes a direct flight to our region. The operation obtained good results: it was initially conceived as a seasonal route and will operate again in December 2026 with daily flights.

Air Canada resumed its operations in Peru after two years. This generates greater connection opportunities with North America and would explain the growth of this market during the first quarter of 2026, due to the reopening of routes from Toronto and Montreal.

Canada grew 19% between the mirror quarters (Q1) of 2025 and 2026, while the United States recorded 7% growth. This last market represents 26% of the tourists who enter through the Jorge Chávez International Airport, so it is also a market of great relevance for us.

On June 3, 2026, a new Lima-Barcelona route will begin with the airline LEVEL. Spain is a market that has grown during the last quarter compared to the first quarter of 2025, when the new airport had not yet been inaugurated. This market registered a growth of 13% compared to that period. Furthermore, Spain represents 6% (2025) of the tourism that enters through the Jorge Chávez International Airport, making it an important market for us.

Peru is pursuing Canada as a source market — trying to attract new airlines and grow Canadian arrivals. Our publication reaches exactly the audience you are targeting — affluent Canadian and American travelers aged 35 to 65, planning trips of 10 to 14 days, with budgets between $8,000 and $12,000. Speak directly to them. Why Peru? Why now? And why not wait until the recovery is complete?

Peru is an excellent option for a brand-new destination to explore and discover. It’s much closer than you think. With convenient direct flights and zero jet lag, you can leave your daily routine behind and dive straight into an extraordinary journey. Peru is a blessed country, blending outstanding biodiversity with a rich cultural legacy to offer the exact fulfilling experiences Canadian travelers are craving right now.

You can immerse yourself in outdoor thrills—from trekking the majestic Andes to venturing into the vast Amazon rainforest—or simply disconnect by visiting local communities at Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, where ancient traditions are still very much alive. To crown it all, you get to experience one of the world’s best gastronomies.

Peru’s Amazon — Madre de Dios, Iquitos, the Manu Biosphere Reserve — are one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. Yet they remain dramatically underrepresented in International Luxury Travel compared to the Ecuadorian or Brazilian Amazon. What is PromPerú doing to change this, and what does a genuine Luxury Amazon experience in Peru looks like today?

PromPerú, is working closely with regional authorities, conservation projects, local communities, and high-end travel operators to position the Peruvian Amazon as a premium destination for travelers seeking exclusivity, authenticity, and purpose-driven travel. We are strengthening International visibility through specialized campaigns, strategic partnerships with tour operators, and participation in global trade events remarking on the experience of the Amazon rainforest and the importance of regenerative tourism.

You have spent 15 years building Peru’s tourism intelligence from the inside — the research, the market studies, the strategy documents that most people never read. If you had to distill everything those 15 years have taught you about what travelers truly want from Peru into one single sentence — what would it be?

I have learned that visitors do not come here only to see iconic places; they come for authenticity.

In our case, they want to feel connected to something real. They want to experience living cultures, meaningful human connections, extraordinary gastronomy, ancient history, breathtaking landscapes, and a sense of discovery that still feels genuine and transformative. Peru has the ability to move people emotionally in a way very few destinations can.

What is interesting is that travelers may initially come because of Machupicchu, our gastronomy, or our biodiversity, but what they remember most when they leave is often the warmth of the people they met, the stories they heard, and the feeling that Peru is not a destination that was created for tourists  it is a country with identity, soul, and authenticity.
And I think that is Peru’s greatest strength in today’s tourism industry. In a world where many destinations are becoming standardized, Peru still offers experiences that feel deeply human, emotional, and unforgettable.