Online transactions in domestic sector, inbound and outbound tourism amounted to USD 1,200 million, according to the National Chamber of Tourism (Canatur) in Peru.
"With regard to domestic tourism, inbound tourism and outbound tourism, we are talking about more than USD 1,200 million moving into the economy through internet. The greatest impact falls on outbound tourism rather than domestic tourism," said the president of Canatur, Carlos Canales.
According to Canatur, after closing the First Peruvian Congress of Digital Marketing in Tourism, Canales explained that most Peruvians buy a ticket or tour package through digital media, through the shopping travel portals of airlines and agencies.
"Through a well-built website, in the languages required by the market, a micro entrepreneur with an investment of USD 20,000 could be selling worldwide and competing with any tour operator or the country's most important operators, without the need of going to a fair or spend millions on promotion,” said the president of Canatur.
However, he warned that the failure to have adequate services can generate a series of complaints from domestic and foreign customers, which would harm the industry.
Peru is likely to reach a record of 3.1 million tourists in 2013, representing an increase of 10 percent over that recorded in 2012, Scotiabank estimated. Scotiabank's senior analyst, Paul Nano, said that foreign visitors will generate foreign currencies of USD 3.800 million this year, up 15 percent from last year.
After explaining that this projection is based on the dynamics of global tourism (4 percent this year), it was pointed out that while Europe is in recession and the U.S. shows slow growth, the expansion of the touristic sector focuses on tourists from Asia and the intraregional market (Latin America), which shows an economic expansion above the global average.
Another influence is the corporate tourism boom driven by the growth of the Peruvian economy, the increasing number of foreign companies doing business in the country, and the development of the meetings and conventions segment.
In terms of expertise, the president particularly stressed cultural tourism, which takes place mainly in the south (Cusco, Arequipa and Puno) and whose central axis is Machu Picchu, and business tourism, which is basically concentrated in Lima and associated with the cycle of economic expansion experienced by the South American country.
According to the MINCETUR, during the first half of 2013, Peru received 1,520,000 foreign tourists, a growth of 10.9 percent over the same period of 2012.