oneworld to promote tourism to Peru

The world's leading quality airline alliance, oneworld^®, is putting its weight behind one of the biggest yet campaigns to attract visitors to Peru.

It is linking with PromPeru, the country's national tourist organisation, to encourage people across all 150 or so countries served by the alliance's airlines to take their holidays in one of Latin America's most attractive, fascinating and welcoming countries.

It is believed to be the first time any airline alliance has worked in this way with any national tourist organization in either South or North America and follows the success of similar joint programmes last year between oneworld and the tourism organizations in Japan and Budapest.

Peru's leading airline, LAN Peru, is an affiliate member of oneworld, along with its Latin American sisters LAN Ecuador and LAN Argentina and, as a full member of the alliance, Chile's LAN Airlines.  oneworld partners American Airlines and Iberia also serve Peru.

Other oneworld carriers with direct flights elsewhere in South America include British Airways and Japan Airlines, with Qantas launching services to Buenos Aires in November.

oneworld's other members - Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Japan Airlines, Malév Hungarian Airlines and Royal Jordanian and around 15 other affiliate carriers - offer excellent connections to Peru from all around the world in combination with these on-line partners.

Between them, these airlines carry 320 million on around 9​000 departures a day serving almost 700 destinations in nearly 150 countries, with the smoothest possible connections between all flights operated by all oneworld members.

oneworld is the only alliance with any airline members based in South America - and its Visit South America pass is an ideal way for travellers outside the continent to travel around Peru and the rest of the region.

LAN Peru serves 13 airports across the country.  With its fellow oneworld members, it links the capital Lima non-stop with Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami and New York in North America, with Madrid in Europe, and with around ten other gateways across South America, including Santiago, Buenos Aires, Guayaquil, Quito, Caracas and Sao Paulo.

Each oneworld airline worldwide will support the Peru drive in different ways, with the programme worldwide aimed at generating around US$1.5 million worth of exposure.

Some of them will offer special fares or frequent flyer bonus miles to Peru.  Most will carry adverts or editorial coverage in their in-flight magazines, on their websites and in communications with members of their frequent flyer programmes.  Others will work with tour operators or co-sponsor events or trade shows.

oneworld Vice-President Commercial Nicolas Ferri added: "Promoting travel to Peru is a great way for all the oneworld member airlines to highlight one of the alliance's most amazing and attractive home countries, our leadership as an airline alliance in Latin America and also the great value and flexibility offered by our Visit South America fare. We are delighted to be working with PromPeru in making the year ahead what will hopefully be the best yet for inbound travel to this fantastic and fascinating region."

PromPeru's Director of Tourism Promotion Mara Seminario said: "PromPeru is thrilled to work with the oneworld alliance, which connects international travellers to the world's greatest tourism destinations. Last year, Peru received a record number of visitors, after promoting the country's amazing culture, heritage, biodiversity, and cuisine throughout the world. The oneworld alliance will lead to sustained tourism growth in Peru for the years to come."

The oneworld-Peru promotion is being supported by two special websites - www.oneworld.com/promo/peru is available now. PromPeru's own tourism website is available in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.  See www.peru.info/perualm.asp

 

About Peru

Peru boasts one of the longest histories of any country in the world, dating back more than 10.000 years.  Its most famous site, Machupicchu, is one of New Seven Wonders of the World. 

It has hundreds of beaches, the world's highest tropical mountain chain and waterfalls, a thousand rivers and 12.000 lakes and lagoons.  The Pacific Ocean off its west coast is one of the richest seas worldwide.  Inland, it features the warm Andean valleys - including one of the Earth's deepest canyons, the 3​400 metre deep Colca Valley - and the exhuberant Amazon region. 

Today, the country is home to almost 28 million people from at least 50 different ethnic groups, who host around 3​000 festivals a year celebrating Peru's history, culture, music and cuisine.  They share it with more than 400 species of mammals, 300 types of reptile and 1​700 varieties of bird, making it one of the most wildlife-rich and bio-diverse countries on the planet.

Other top attractions include:

• Caral Sacred City, built 4​400 years before the time of the Incas' time and, therefore, the most ancient dwelling place in the Americas.
• Chan Chan Citadel, the biggest mud citadel in the Americas, built between 900 and 1500 AD and decorated with impressive friezes that represent the tight bond the culture had with the sea.
• Kuelap Fortress, built a thousand years ago in the cloud forest 3​000 metres above sea level.
• Choquequirao Archeological Park, one of the many lost citadels of the Incas.
• Some of the world's best white-water rafting, trekking, mountain climbing, surfing, windsurfing and sailing, fresh and seawater fishing, scuba diving, mountain biking...

The country attracted almost 2 million foreign tourists in 2007.

About oneworld

oneworld brings together ten of the best and biggest names in the airline business - American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Qantas and Royal Jordanian, and around 20 affiliates including American Eagle, Dragonair, LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru.  Mexicana and its affiliate Click Mexicana will join the alliance in 2009. 

Between them, these airlines:

• Serve almost 700 airports in nearly 150 countries, with some 9​000 daily departures.
• Offer nearly 550 airport lounges for premium customers.
• Carry 320 million passengers a year.
• Employ more than 250.000 people.
• Operate almost 2​500 aircraft.
• Generate more than US$100 billion annual revenues.

The alliance enables its members to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own.  These include a broader route network, opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles and points across the combined oneworld network and more airport lounges.  

oneworld was voted the World's Leading Airline Alliance for the fifth year running in the latest (2007) World Travel Awards.