affirmed that holding the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Peru is an opportunity to promote tourism and once again for this sector to become the third-largest foreign currency generator at the national level.
In remarks to Andina news agency, the government official indicated that Peru is part of APEC —a trade forum that accounts for 62% of world's gross domestic product (GDP). Therefore, "it is of greater importance to remain in this forum and in this space."
"I believe that this (organizing APEC) is a great opportunity to promote our tourist destinations, as well as to generate income and once again become the third-largest generator of foreign currency at the national level," she expressed.
Deputy Minister Burns stated that efforts are being undertaken by various sectors, such as tourism. Thus,
APEC gains greater importance knowing that it registers great growth in the Asia-Pacific area.
"So, joining and being part of this market is of greater importance for us; the facilitation of tourism is part of the work that we also have to do and, of course, the promotion of these wonderful spaces that Peru hosts on the coast, highlands, and jungle, and, above all, sharing our culture; (that is) what tourists are looking for," she indicated.
Burns argued that now the tourist experience is different from previous years. Thus, a topic to highlight is digital transformation to incorporate communities into this new system for visiting tourist places.
Regarding the impact of creative economies on the future of tourism in said bloc, the government official affirmed that the issue of sustainability and the establishment of creative industries are being discussed.
"We have the task of analyzing the issue of sustainability, of how we make sure that trash is reused in the best way, that there is no food waste; there is a lot of work that we are gathering, experiences from different places, and that ends up in projects that are being led by Peru and supported by other economies," she added.