Gastronomy grows as driver for tourism to Peru with food tourism forum contributions paving the way for future success for the country.
Over 2,300 people attended the 2nd UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism that took place in Lima, Peru from 27 – 29 April.
The event was officially opened by Peruvian President Ollanta Humala, and attracted guests from around the globe including more than 400 tourism and gastronomy experts.
“Gastronomy highlights our resources, as Peru is the capital of the potato and home of so many other products, and moreover, gastronomy creates jobs and is a one of the activities attached to our nature”
Ollanta Humala, Peru’s President
Peru’s Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Magali Silva said that the ideas and contributions emerging from the Forum have sown the seed to empower tourism industry in Peru, but it will grow only with the perseverance of the Peruvians.
Presidente Ollanta Humala
Research from PROMPERU shows that inbound tourism has increased over the past five years and the by the end of this presidential term (2016) it will have expanded by more than 43% and that gastronomic tourism has increased from 8% to 20% in the same period.
To us and the world, gastronomic tourism is a social inclusion tool, an instrument capable of incorporating all the country’s isolated sectors, with which tourism and gastronomy have already involved to overcome poverty.
Speakers include Carlos Vogeler, Director Executive Secretary of Member Relations at the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) based in Madrid, Spain; Joxe Mari Aizega, Basque Culinary Center Director and; Yolanda Perdomo, Director of the UNWTO Affiliate Members Program.
The event was organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Basque Culinary Center and the Government of Peru, through PROMPERU.
