This year, Peru managed to attract 30 international meetings to be held in the country, generating S/ 32 million in foreign currency to promote this leading industry in the tourism and knowledge sector, informed the Commission for the Promotion of Peru for Exports and Tourism (PROMPERU).
That's why the body recognized the executives of the associations, guilds and private organizations that managed to attract these events, and which cover medicine, science and technology, design, construction, architecture and real estate, administration, social responsibility, business and foreign trade sectors.
"The meetings industry has a major impact on the national economy, on the development of local talent and the exchange of knowledge. It also promotes innovation and contributes to Peru's positioning in the world", said PROMPERÚ executive president Luis Torres Paz.
The event was attended by the Vice-Minister of Tourism, José Vidal Fernández, and officials from PROMPERÚ, an institution that acts as the National Bureau of Industry, Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions.
Also present were Jorge León Benavides, president of the Lima and Iquitos Conventions Bureau, and Santiago Gonzales, director of the Association of International Congresses and Conventions for Latin America and the Caribbean (ICCA), among others.
MEETING TOURISM
The meetings industry moves more than a trillion dollars in the world, and it is estimated that, last year alone, 9% of total international arrivals visited the country to take part in some international congress or event.
Peru received 15 000 people during 2019 as a result of meeting tourism. Furthermore, more than 1000 meetings were held this year, which generated foreign exchange worth more than USD 400 million.
According to the ranking of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Lima ranks second in South America after Buenos Aires. To date, there are national bureaus in the cities of Lima, Arequipa, Iquitos, Paracas and Tacna.
Foreign tourists who travel through this segment spend three times more than conventional tourists. In addition, four out of 10 visit the country and carry out tourist activities. 80% of international meetings are currently hosted in Lima, however, regions such as Arequipa, Iquitos and Cusco are becoming increasingly important in this industry.
DETAILS
PROMPERÚ has promotional tools and makes support services and promotional material available to event organizers. This can be found on the website at http://meetings.peru.travel/es-pe.