Peru has taken up the challenge of becoming the main destination for culinary tourism at an international level. This strategic segment is ideal to strengthen the recovery of the sector, boosted by the close relationship between Peruvian gastronomy and national identity. To this end, the Commission for the Promotion of Peru for Exports and Tourism (Promperú), organised a face-to-face business conference in the city of Lima in order to facilitate commercial relations between national and international businessmen and will promote training and the exchange of experiences and information through seminars and roundtables specialised in food tourism.
The Peruvian Culinary Experiences 2022 event was held on September 13 and 14, 2022 and was the first business conference in this modality: five seminars and two roundtables specialised in gastronomy tourism and promotion of tourist destinations were held by prominent Peruvian representatives of tourism and gastronomy.
At the end of the event, the international tour operators that participated in the business conference enjoyed the gastronomic experiences offered by the Peruvian capital: they received cooking classes, visited a local market, and were able to taste organic products and superfoods. Also, they will carry out familiarisation trips from September 16–19 to the following destinations: Cusco, Loreto, Arequipa and the Moche Route; where they will be able to explore the culinary and gastronomic culture, as well as the main tourist attractions of Peru such as the world-renowned Machupicchu and the Amazon.
Promperú aims to achieve three fundamental goals:
- To increase the flow of international gastronomic tourism by promoting tourist experiences and products based on regional gastronomy.
- To promote the tourist experience around the supply chain of native ingredients such as Peruvian superfoods that go hand in hand with regional cuisines for the sake of their conservation and sustainable use.
- And to promote the generation of strategic alliances and tools aimed at promoting and positioning the country as a leading destination in culinary tourism.
This way, new and better experiences will be offered to tourists, with the government and the private sector working together.
In 2011, the Organization of American States (OAS) distinguished Peruvian gastronomy as a Cultural Heritage of the Americas for the World and to date, and Peru continues to be one of the main foodie references in the region and the world. This year, Peru has already been awarded Best Culinary Destination in South America at the World Travel Awards, and is also in competition in the category for Best Culinary Destination Worldwide at the next awards gala.
