URUBAMBA (Cusco region, Peru), June 8 (NNN-ANDINA) — 49% of tourists who visit Peru —especially Cusco as it is one of the main destinations hosting numerous archaeological and landscape attractions such as Machu Picchu— come from the economies that make up the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
The latest important meeting that began recently in Urubamba —located in the Incas Sacred Valley— holds positive expectations with benefits for various development sectors in this southern Peruvian region.
Peru’s Senior Official for the APEC forum, Renato Reyes Tagle, deemed as a privilege the fact that our country manages this year to preside over more than 200 meetings featuring authorities and representatives of the 21 economies that make up this bloc.
“For Peru, APEC means 67% of our global exports; 49% of tourists come from APEC countries; APEC economies account for more than 60% of world’s gross domestic product (GDP); and close to 50% of world trade is concentrated in APEC countries,” he said.
Being in Cusco, Reyes Tagle emphasized that this event shows the country’s image as positive, because it generates confidence and capacity to organize the more than 200 global meetings, since world powers, such as the United States, China, Japan, New Zealand, and others, are included.
“Tourism is growing; it is even bigger this year; if authorities get together, citizens (of those countries) will say ‘they (the rulers and representatives) are there,’ ‘so, it is safe to go.’ That promotes and stimulates a greater number of visitors,” he added.
Reyes Tagle said that, according to information from Comex Peru, in 2016 —when our country organized its second APEC forum— tourism, transportation, food, and lodging registered income of up to US$20 million.
He added that between 2008 (Peru’s first APEC host year) and 2016, US$9.4 billion in investments were generated in this country.
However, Reyes Tagle said he cannot yet anticipate what this latest APEC edition will reflect, economically speaking.
“We will assess the statistics at the end of the year, but I can only tell you that our expectations (suggest) these figures will be exceeded, given the number of people who have been signing up; these are numbers greater than those we registered at the 2016 meetings; we believe that both economic and participation effects will be positive,” he said.
According to Reyes Tagle, delegations “make the most of their stay here by visiting other tourist destinations in Peru before or after the meetings.”
“Our first (APEC 2024) meeting began between the end of February and last March; the previous one was held in Arequipa from May 4 to 18, and now we have started (the current one) in Cusco,“ he stressed.
Peru is hosting APEC for the third time after the 2008 and 2016 editions.
APEC is made up of: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam.
Together, they account for 48% of global trade in goods and services and 38% of the planet’s population. — NNN-ANDINA
