City Information
Peru is the third largest country in South America after Brazil and Argentina, and ranks among the 20 largest countries in the world. The country’s location facilitates the access to markets in Asia and the United States of America, which enables its projection as a linking bridge between markets in South America and Southeast Asia.
LIMA –
Few foreign visitor falls in love with the Peruvian capital, but nearly all of them pass through it — a whopping 90 percent, in fact. According to the Mastercard 2014 Golbal destination cities index, Lima was the most visited city in Latin America by foreign arrivals in 2014, and the twentieth most visited city in the world.
CUSCO –
Cusco is Peru’s prime tourist destination, with at least 80 percent of all foreign tourists heading there during their stay. Cusco itself has plenty to offer, bursting as it is with history and tradition. Two words, however, explain the almost hypnotic attraction that the former Inca capital has over foreign visitors: Machu Picchu. The Inca citadel received 1.17 million visitors in 2013, of which 804,000 were foreigners (Peru itself received 3.16 million foreign tourists in 2013).
PUNO –
In terms of population, Puno only just sneaks onto the list of Peru’s 20 biggest cities. But Puno has two attributes that keep the tourists coming. The city is known as the “Folkloric Capital of Peru” thanks to its rich traditions and frequent festivals, with annual festivities drawing big crowds from across Peru and beyond.
ICA –
Ica is a nice enough place, but the city isn’t typically the main reason for staying in this part of Southern Peru. Ica serves as a base for trips to the surrounding dunes for buggy rides and sandboarding, most famously at the Huacachina oasis. The surrounding area is also part of the pisco route, with some of Peru’s finest pisco distilleries nestled in the region’s river valleys.
