Family tourism in Peru grew 7 percent in 2014, the country’s government said in a special report on the family segment.
The Exterior Commerce and Tourism Ministry (MINCETUR) and its tourism division, PromPeru, released the fourth edition of Tourism by the Numbers on Thursday. The report stated that almost 3 million family vacations were taken inside Peru in 2014, a 7 percent increase from 2013. 3.3 million vacations, a growth of 8 percent, are expected for 2015. The segment grew 40 percent from 2011 to 2013.
Family vacations generated 1.2 billion soles ($389 million) of economic activity in 2014. The average family vacation has a duration of five nights with an expenditure of 1513 soles ($490).
Exterior Commerce and Tourism Minister, Magali Silva, said the study will help “further understand the characteristics, motivations, habits and interests of Peruvians who take vacations in Peru.”
The family segment is defined by couples younger than 60 with children. There are 7.8 million families in Peru, of which 2.5 million belong to socioeconomic levels B and C (monthly income of $970 and $460, respectively). Of that group, only 202,000 took trips inside Peru in 2014.
“These numbers indicate that we have a market that our promotional strategies need to address,” Silva said.
In addition to being the largest segment at 62 percent of the total, the family segment also shows the strongest growth. Their primary motivations include family memories and doing activities together. Their key criteria in selecting vacation options include security, comfort and organization. Children are an increasing influence on the choice of destination.
Lima families dominate the family travelers segment with 82 percent of the total, followed by Arequipa (7 percent) and Trujillo (5 percent). 81% are married couples between 35 and 50 years old with an average of two children. 70 percent have some college or more. Over 90 percent traveled by land and less than 10 percent by plane.
Families with children under six years old prefer destinations which offer flexible free time and all the entertainment options in one place. Those with children over six prefer the months of January and July to take advantage of school vacations.
73 percent planned their vacations ahead of time, while 27 percent did not. The planning families searched for information via Google and ytuqueplanes.com.
Sources:
Ministra Magali Silva presenta estudio sobre la familia peruana viajera (PromPeru)
Viajes familiares por turismo interno generaron S/. 1,226 millones en el 2014 (Andina)
Turismo interno: viajes de familias generaron un movimiento económico de S/. 1,226 millones (Gestion)