The Peru Country Brand was seen by more than 190 million people around the world thanks to Lima, the capital of Peru, hosting the start of the Dakar Rally 2018, which had six stages in the country, the Export and Tourism Promotion Board of Peru (PROMPERÚ) reported.
The 40th edition of this competition began on January 6 from the Pentagonito in San Borja, attended by the President of Peru, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, and the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Eduardo Ferreyros, among other authorities who symbolically waved the flag for the start of the rally.
Motorcycles, ATVs, cars and trucks that traveled through Peru began their journey before the watchful eye of the international media that gathered in the country, allowing us to show off the Peru Country Brand and the beauty of the Peruvian tourist destinations - the Ica dunes, the Andes of Arequipa and the Puno highlands - to their audience, estimated at around 190 million people in some 180 countries.
To take advantage of the audience, PROMPERÚ has carried out a series of promotional activities so that the whole world knows more about the country and the warmth and hospitality of its people.
As a result, the Peru Marquee was installed in the Dakar Village in Lima, where it was possible to taste our Superfoods and cocktails based on pisco, as well as to enjoy a yunza festival with its typical dances, or take photos with replicas of landscapes and competing vehicles in a structure inspired by the Sanctuary of Pachacamac.
One of the moments that stole the show during the start was the air display with a 600-kilo Peru Country Brand MX2 model plane made entirely of carbon fiber and piloted by the Peruvian Micho Velickovich, who came from Florida, the United States, in a trip that took six days.
The 'Peru, Mucho Gusto - Pisco' food fair was also held, offering the best of southern regional cuisines over two days. This gave people following the Dakar closely as it passed through Ica something to enjoy at this destination, considering that the entrance was free.
Finally, for January 10 and 11, before the rally bid farewell to Peru and followed its course through Bolivia to Córdoba (Argentina), the 'Peru, Mucho Gusto - Puno' fair was held in the Manco Cápac barracks. Entrance was also free.
This year, the 2018 Dakar Rally was supported by a multi-agency committee led by MINCETUR, with contributions from the ministries of Culture, Environment (SERNANP), Education (IPD), the Interior and Defense.
The route followed by the competition was laid out in a coordinated manner, respecting the exclusion zones so that the natural, cultural and paleontological heritage was undamaged. An awareness campaign was also carried out in which the public was asked to follow the competition in the spectator zones, pick up any waste and throw it away, and respect the signage around the route.