subject: Peru Tourism Keeps Growing [print this page] Peru Tourism Keeps Growing Peru Tourism Keeps Growing
Foreign tourism to Peru has increased in the past year, according to 2011 report by the Peruvian National Institute for Statistics and Information Technology (INEI by its Spanish acronym).
The primary finding of the report stated that for the year 2010, foreign tourism to Peru increased 12.1 percent over 2009 numbers. A total of 2,829,360 people visited Peru for tourism purposes. Most tourists came from neighboring countries: 45 percent from Chile, 7 percent from Ecuador, 6 percent from Bolivia, and 4 percent each from Argentina, Colombia, and Brazil. Following the list of South American countries, the United States was the origin of the largest amount of international tourists. The United States is credited with 12 percent of the visitors, followed by Spain, who represented 5 percent. However, when the numbers were only counted for tourists entering the country though Lima's Jorge Chavez International Airportthe country's only international airportmost of the tourists come from the United States. US travelers made up 26 percent of travelers entering through this airport.
The largest driver of tourism in Peru is the famous Inca site Machu Picchu, located in the mountains outside of Cusco and surrounded by the Sacred Valley. This city has no international airport, so most visitors fly into Lima and transfer to a domestic flight to Cusco.
This year is one hundredth anniversary of Machu Picchu's rediscoverymarking when explorer and Yale University archaeologist Hiram Bingham stumbled upon the site, thanks to an expedition guided by locals who knew about the site. Thanks to the charming city of Cusco and the numerous traditional villages scatted throughout the Sacred Valley, many visitors to Peru combine their vacation to Machu Picchu with a tour of the Sacred Valley and a few nights in town.
Another main tourist destination in Peru is Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake and one of the largest lakes in South America. The lake is famous for its floating islands, constructed by local indigenous people out of reeds. Many of the residents still live on these floating islands, which were originally created to help the people escape Inca persecution. The lake is shared with Bolivia.
Finally, numerous visitors to Peru come to experience the Amazon rainforest. Peru's Amazon rainforest makes up 60 percent of the country's total landmass. The Amazon sits along the interior borders of many countries, including Colombia, Brazil, and Bolivia. Most people who come to visit the jungle take Amazon River boat tours or stay several nights in a jungle lodge. Both are remarkable experiences.
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