revealed that the tourism sector is expected to account for 3.7% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by the end of this year.
In remarks to Exitosa radio, Minister Rogers Valencia said this figure is still below the share that this economic activity accounted for before the pandemic (3.9% of GDP).
"As a share of GDP, tourism is estimated to reach 3.7% this year, below the 3.9% recorded during the pre-pandemic period," Valencia said.
However, in real terms, the tourism sector's revenue increased from $4.7 billion in 2019 to $5.3 billion by the end of 2025, he noted.
Additionally, the Mincetur head said the figure is around 4 million inbound tourists, below the 4.5 million recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.
"A healthy level for tourism's contribution to an economy like Peru's should be close to 7% of GDP; meanwhile, the target is 10% in advanced economies. Therefore, we need to boost domestic connectivity while also (developing) more airports that connect us to the world," he remarked.
In the view of Mincetur’s head, Peru has significant potential to attract more tourists, but work must continue on tourism infrastructure to provide visitors with a better experience.
"Domestic tourism has grown a lot. The resource exists; what we do not have is the product. We must not confuse the attraction or resource that motivates a trip with the product, which means infrastructure, means of transportation, and hotel services," Valencia said.
"There is very good hotel infrastructure in some places, but we lack connectivity. So, we are still in the process of building the product," he added.
Citizen security
Minister Valencia also stated that efforts must be made to improve citizen security in order to enhance the country's image.
Therefore, the Cabinet member suggested that international experiences such as those of Mexico and Colombia should be taken into consideration, as these countries have also experienced periods of high levels of violence and insecurity in the streets.
"Without a doubt, security is an important factor. However, Mexico, which leads Latin America in tourism, receives 46 million tourists and has serious security problems. How has it done it?" he emphasized.
"We have to learn from that experience. Mexico has 20 airports directly connected to the United States, 740 daily flights. It has diversified; not the entire country has the same security problems. Colombia does not have a global security standard, but it still has five airports directly connected to U.S. cities," he pointed out.
Publicado: 2/9/2026