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Peru tops CNN's Wonder List of the month

Tourists visiting the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. Photo:ANDINA/Alberto Orbegoso

Tourists visiting the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. Photo:ANDINA/Alberto Orbegoso

13:45 | Atlanta (U.S.), Jun. 28.

The Inca nation's timeless beauty has been crowned number one gem by United States news giant CNN's "Wonder List" of the month, Peru's Tourism and Exports Promotion Board (PromPeru) informed on Wednesday.


In a most thought-provoking prelude to the actual video, the prestigious media outlet points to the ever-lingering puzzle: "How did people without steel, or wheels, or a written language, build a stairway to heaven and a pleasure palace for the ages?"


While unable to answer the question, Bill Weir's Wonder List does not fail to do justice to Peru's majestic Inca heritage, capturing the essence of a time-transcending empire in a little over a minute.

Bird's-eye views of the Imperial City of Cusco, including Sacsayhuaman Fortress, Choquequirao and Machu Picchu, justify CNN's choice of this High-Andean wonder.


With beautifully-intertwined aerial shots and drone footage making up the bulk of the video, one cannot help but wonder if such heavenly views can only be fully taken in from soaring heights.

Peru thus tops fellow Wonder List features Iceland, French Alps, Galapagos and Vanuatu. 



Peruvian restaurant

Peru also leads CNN Travel's "20 of the world's most underrated restaurants" list, a set of elite restaurants and eateries the news network describes as "the unsung heroes" of world gastronomy.

Located in Lima's lower-middle class Surquillo district, Peruvian chef Tomas 'Toshi' Matsufuji's Al Toke Pez is proof that good cuisine need not always be flashy and high-priced.

A PhD in supramolecular chemistry, Matsufuji certainly knows how to assemble the elements for a perfect dish. His signature dish "Cachete Frito" is prepared with the fin of robalo (snook) or mero (grouper), deep-fried and served in a seafood sauce. 



U.S. tourists in Peru

PromPeru underlines the role of the U.S. market in the country's tourism sector. 

In this sense, its Foreign Visitor Profile reveals the average spending of U.S. tourists in Peru is US$1,444, whereas average tourists' expenditure stands at US$994.

In 2016, U.S. visitors accounted for 16% (586,479) of the 3,744,461 international arrivals, an 8% rise over the previous year. 


Click here to watch the video!

(END) NDP/MAO/DHT/MVB


Published: 6/28/2017