Archive for December, 2006
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According to Mercedes Aráoz, Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister, tourist flow will rise to 1.8 million visitors during 2007. That is, a 12,5% increase over 2006.
The astounding growth of Peru’s Tourism is not recent. Last 5 years have seen seen almost an 80% increase in tourist flow, thanks mostly to arqueological and natural attractions. Currently, the country’s most prominent destinations are the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, in Cusco, the Nasca Lines, the Amazon jungle, and the different trekking routes in the Andes.
However, other less well-known destinations are being supported by Peru’s Tourism Board. These include the stone citadel of Caral (the oldest in Latin America), the ruins of Kuélap; and Puno and Lake Titicaca, the World’s highest navigable lake.
December 19th, 2006
Peru’s annual growth rate is at its highest since 1995, reports Alex Emery for Bloomberg.
Economic growth in the 12 months through October rose to 7.68%, an ascent fueled by the surging prices for Peru’s commodities. Many have reached records this year, specially in the mining industry (natural gas output, for example, surged 50 percent, while zinc rose 27 percent). Other sectors with a large growth rate include construction, manufacturing and farming.
According to Bear Stearns’ analyst, Franco Uccelli, “evidence of Peru’s strong macroeconomic performance is quite ample” as “trong domestic demand and very high levels of public and private investment are fueling economic growth”.
December 18th, 2006
A new tourist service was recently presented by Ferrocarril Central Andino (FCA), the railway company that runs the rails from Lima to Huancayo, La Oroya and Cerro de Pasco.
The new service will cover the Lima-Huancayo stretch, employing some comfortable and modern coaches, featuring a bar-wagon with a windowed balcony that offers breathtaking views of the Andes. The 11-hour trip passes through the mythical Ticlio, considered -at 4.758 m.a.s.l.- the highest rail point in the world.
The new service is scheduled for 20 trips during 2007, all departing from Desamparados Station, in dowtown Lima.
December 16th, 2006
Baum and Whiteman, the renowned food & restaurant consultants, have recently published their predictions for top dining trends in the US during 2007. Trend #2 is called the Next Cuisine and points directly to… Peruvian Cuisine.
They argument that Peruvian Cuisine “is a fabulous fusion of Italian, Japanese, Indian, Spanish and indigenous cookery; it is part of the next wave of specific regional cookery; Nobu came from there; its hot, spicy, creative flavors resonate with Americans; it has a growing cadre of “new cuisine” chefs, some coming to the US, who are updating old fashioned dishes. Most importantly: There are big enough clusters of Peruvian immigrants to make their restaurants and ingredients more visible. You can now buy frozen guinea pig, an Andean delicacy, in Houston, and Inka Cola is sold on aptly named Amazon.com”.
The top 10 trends, which can be seen in complete detail here (pdf file), are: 1. Health and wellness; 2. The Next Cuisine; 3. Chocolate - Health and Exotica; 4. Sensory Deception; 5. Bellies are Big; 6. Ethical Eating; 7. The Izakayas are Coming; 8. Chef Driven Steakhouses; 9. Burgers with Pedigrees; 10. Salt.
Bon Appétit, America!
December 15th, 2006
The celebration of Christmas in Cusco begins with the dressing-up of the city with coloured lights and garlands. These can be seen everywhere, from the balconies of the Monumental mountain to the streets around the main square, and donate the city with a warm festive atmosphere.
On December 24th, hundred of artisans coming from Cusco and the surrounding towns lay their blankets on the sidewalks –a custom in traditional Andean fairs– and sell carved Nativity handicrafts. Held in Cusco’s main square, Santuranticuy (which means “saints for sale”) is a temporary market whose origins go back to the days of the Spanish Vice-royalty. Today it’s the largest arts-and-crafts fairs in the country.
The central figure of the Christmas fair is the Niño Manuelito, the Andean version of the newborn Jesus. Besides the baby Manuelito, you’ll find the other Nativity figures –all with an Andean touch–, as well as saint’s images. Much appreciated are the boxed scenes, known as Retablos, whose small figurines can represent almost every aspect of live, secular or sacred, though for the occasion you’ll almost only find Nativity scenes.
Although the Santuranticuy fair started as a Christmas specific market, over the years it expanded to include other goods like antiques, silverware, and ceramic objects brought from Pucará and Quinua. At night, street vendors sell a traditional hot and sweet rum punch called ponche, to warm up chilly visitors.
To facilitate both clients and artisans, the fair has been divided into sectors, each of which aggregates a speciality product. Among these you can find decorative ceramic, wood and bark crafts, miniatures and filigrees, silverware, stone crafts, stone sculptures, paintings from the Escuela Cusqueña, and Niños Manuelitos.
December 14th, 2006
A recent interview of Peru’s most renowned chef, Gastón Acurio, illustrates quite well the worldwide potential of Peruvian cuisine. In the interview, appeared in klephblog, Peruvian celebrity Acurio explains his cooking philosophy and approach to Peruvian gastronomy, as well as reveals some of his plans for worldwide expansion.
“We are living in the middle of a gastronomic revolution” says Acurio, whose gastronomic empire includes upscale restaurant Astrid & Gaston (with restaurants in Lima, Quito, Santiago, Caracas, and Bogota), cebichería La Mar, sandwich-eatery Pasquale Hermanos, and T’anta, a market-style deli.
A revolution that has reached the United States: “In the last three years -continues the renowned chef- we have seen Peruvian restaurants emerge as some of the best restaurants in the United States. That has never happened before. We are seeing high-end fine-dining Peruvian restaurants opening in Seattle, San Francisco and Washington D.C.”.
You can read the complete interview here: part 1 and part 2.
December 13th, 2006
A global competition to name the new seven wonders of the world will shortly see the light. Begun in 1999 by Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber, more than 20 million people worldwide have voted so far.
Public votes, though, were only considered during the first phase of the competition, when a first list of 77 locations was drafted (from an initial list of almost 200 nominations). The second phase involved a panel of architectural experts, chaired by former UNESCO chief Federico Mayor. The panel further shortened the list to 21.
The seven wonders will be announced on July 7, 2007, in Lisbon, Portugal. But only after Weber and his team visit all the 21 sites -a final assessment journey that is expected to end in March 2007.
Some of the favourites among the 21 candidates are the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, Taj Mahal and Machu Picchu. The other finalists are the Acropolis; Turkey’s Haghia Sophia; the Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral; the Colosseum; Germany’s Neuschwanstein Castle; Stonehenge; Spain’s Alhambra; the Great Wall; Japan’s Kiyomizu Temple; the Sydney Opera House; Cambodia’s Angkor; Timbuktu; Petra, Jordan; Brazil’s Statue of Christ Redeemer; Easter Island; and Chichen Itza, Mexico.
You can vote for Machu Picchu at the New 7 Wonders website.
December 12th, 2006
