Chile, Peru fastest-growing destinations in South American region
LIMA, Aug 31 — Chile and Peru showed the fastest growth in numbers of visitors during the first semester of the year according to the South American Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference (SAHIC).
A view of Santiago. Chile is the fastest growing tourism destination in the South American region. — Picture courtesy of shutterstock.comChile tops the regional ranking with a 15 per cent increase in the number of tourists during the first six months of 2012 compared to the same period last year. Peru is in second place with an increase of 11 per cent during the same period.
Chile received over three million tourists in 2011 according to the government, which represented a growth of 11 per cent compared to the previous year. For the first time in three years, the number of European tourists visiting the country increased by 6.2 per cent with Germany topping the list followed by France and Spain.
In March of this year the luxury brand Renaissance Hotels announced its plans to open a property in the country’s capital Santiago in 2013.
Tourism in Peru has been increasing for a number of years; in 2011 the number of tourists visiting the country increased by 13 per cent over 2010, with 43 per cent of them coming from neighbouring countries.
In early August, the government in Peru announced the construction of a new airport in Cusco, one of the most visited regions in the country. This facility is expected to be ready by 2017.
The South American Hotel and Investment Conference will take place in Lima, Peru on September 10 and 11. The SAHIC is an annual event which aims to promote the hotel and tourism business and real estate projects in the region. — AFP-Relaxnews
