Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Peru has been deprived of almost 20 million potential international visitors, which has significantly affected the country’s economy and jobs. Although many industries have returned to pre-pandemic levels, Peru’s tourism has remained weak. In 2025, tourism only contributed 3.3% of the country’s GDP, compared to 3.9% in 2019.
Meanwhile, tourism-related jobs only slightly exceed the level of the previous year by 2%.
According to the latest statistics, Peru registered 3.4 million international visitors in 2025, which is 22% lower than in 2019. The IPE (Peruvian Institute of Economics) estimates that Peru has lost about 20 million tourists compared to the trend for 2015-2019. This is equivalent to a loss of 102 billion soles in sales of goods and services.
Compared to other Latin American countries, Peru is not doing well. In 2025, Colombia recorded an increase in tourist arrivals by 48% compared to 2019, while Chile recorded an increase of 33%. At the same time, Peru only managed to achieve growth of 5% per year on average, which means that it will probably take until 2031 for Peru to return to the level of 2019.
Regional Pain and Iconic Sites Underperforming
The regional distribution of tourism also shows that Peru has significant problems in this area. Loreto, Puno, Junín and Áncash, for example, have recorded a decrease in the number of tourists by more than 40% compared to 2019. Even Machu Picchu, the most iconic destination in Peru, has recorded a decrease in visitors of 2.7% in 2025 compared to 2019.
Experts point out several reasons for this, including low security, social unrest, insufficient promotion of Peru as a tourist destination, and ineffective management of tourist flows to the most popular destinations.
Insufficient Promotion of Peru’s Tourism Potential
One of the problems holding back Peru’s tourism potential is a decrease in the country’s visibility on the international stage. The share of the state tourism promotion budget (Prom-Peru) was allocated to international promotion of Peru in 2021 – 2025 is 4% lower than in 2016 – 2020. This is because other countries are trying to attract tourists to their countries while Peru is trying to regain its position as a tourist destination.
At the same time, experts believe that in order to increase the number of tourists, it is necessary not only to promote Peru abroad more actively but also to improve the quality of services at strategic destinations, such as, for example, Machu Picchu. In addition, security issues need to be resolved.
The Government Faces a Huge Challenge in Reviving Tourism
The new government needs to develop a strategy to promote Peru as a tourist destination. Experts believe that in order to do this, it is necessary to develop an aggressive marketing campaign to increase the visibility of Peru abroad, as well as to improve the quality of services at strategic destinations.
In addition, another factor influencing the development of tourism in Peru will be the election of mayors in the regions with tourism infrastructure, who will be able to take measures to develop the local economy, create jobs, and thus reduce poverty. The government should encourage such initiatives to revive Peru’s tourism industry.
