Tourism

Despite a global economic recession, international tourist arrivals in Peru rose by 10% in 2012 to reach 2.85m and the industry forecasts these numbers will continue rising at a steady rate, exceeding 3m visitors by the end of 2013. Overall heightened economic activity and investments are building a large corporate segment that is pushing industry standards, particularly in the hospitality business. Revenues from foreign tourists amounted to $3.23bn in 2012, representing an 11% increase from the previous year, and official full-year figures for 2013 to surpass $3.5bn. The government hopes to boost annual tourist arrivals to 5.1m by 2021. Government support, most notably in efforts to simplify the process of obtaining construction permits for hotel development, as well as positive quantitative indicators demonstrate that tourism is becoming an area of growing importance for the country.