By Renato Romero

By the end of 2019, 4.48 million (1) travelers from all over the world visited Peru.  The Peruvian tourism agency was expecting this number to increase by 370k people (2) in 2020. However, these projections were decimated by the arrival of COVID in Peru on March 6, 2020.  As a result of the pandemic, only 900K travelers visited Peru in 2020(3).  The pandemic not only destroyed the Peruvian tourism industry (its third source of Gross Domestic Product), it has also killed around 200K people as of July 2021 (Peru is 1^st in deaths per million.)

For this year, the Peruvian tourism agency is expecting to receive 15% more travelers (4), when compared to 2020, with the majority of them arriving during the second semester of the year.  There is great hope that this should mark the beginning of the tourism industry recovery in Peru.

Is it safe to visit Peru now?

As the second wave of the pandemic is starting to come to an end in Peru, its citizens are learning to live with its impacts.  While Peru is not functioning as it did pre-pandemic, hotels, restaurants and museums are welcoming guests in small volumes. The same is happening at the majority of archeological sites. At this time all of the regions in Peru can be visited, but there are curfews at night in all of them and sometimes on Sundays.

Regulations in Peru are changing every week to two weeks. An example of this is that the region of Arequipa just completed a lockdown of a couple of weeks due to the discovery of the first case of the Indian version of the virus. The government has announced that this severe measure won’t be applied again for the remaining of the pandemic, unless it is absolutely necessary.

Peru’s health officials are getting ready for a third wave which could start in one or two more months, and it should last two or three months; therefore, the best months to visit Peru are probably from July to mid-August, and then starting again in November. By November, Peru should be a safe place to travel with only a few restrictions since at least 50% of its population should be vaccinated by then.

Peru guide & tips to travel during COVID (5)

• Book in advance. The tourism industry has lost 70K businesses (6) and the ones that remain open follow strict government rules to be able to offer their services. There are less planes, trains, buses, hotels and restaurants in the market, and prices are usually cheaper when booked in advance. During COVID booking a travel related service in advance will save money, time and lots of headaches. 
• Get a negative COVID PCR test certificate from a registered health institution. The certificate must be no older than 72 hours accounted from the time you will be boarding. This is a requirement to board a plane.
• Research about the restrictions established in each region that will be visited. For instance, travelers should get information related to curfews, mask requirements (2 per person), and lock downs.
• The value of the dollar in Peru is at its highest in the last 25 years and travelers bringing dollars to Peru will get more for less money. This makes of Peru a great destination. 
• Machu Picchu and the majority of tourist attractions are receiving less travelers than ever. With less travelers than usual the experience is more pleasant and enjoyable.

Sources:

1. Perú recibe 4,4M de turistas en 2019, un leve incremento de 1% respecto al año anterior
2. Perú prevé atraer 4,85 millones de turistas extranjeros en 2020
3. Alarmantes cifras del sector turismo al cierre de 2020 y pronósticos para este año
4. Perú espera un 15% más de turistas extranjeros en el 2021 en destinos “seguros”
5. Al Covid-19 le ganamos juntos
6. El turismo en medio de la pandemia, ¿cuántos empleos se han perdido y cuántas empresas han cerrado?