Number of Chinese visiting Peru on the rise

The number of Chinese tourists traveling to Peru has increased, particularly since September when the South American country adopted a conditional visa waiver policy for Chinese passport holders.

Bookings for package tours or DIY tours to Peru on Ctrip, a leading online travel agency in China, experienced a 90-percent year-on-year increase in the first 10 months of the year.

Peng Liang, public relations director of Ctrip's resort and vacation department, said the visa exempt policy is a big lure for Chinese tourists, particularly middle- and upper-class tourists.

"In September, the number of searches for Peru-related travel packages on our website was double that of August, while bookings increased by 50 percent," Peng said.

The Peru government announced in September that Chinese citizens holding permanent resident certificates or visas for the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia or any state in the Schengen passport-free zone, with at least six months remaining, would be exempt from a tourist or business visa when visiting Peru for up to 180 days.

Ni Jiali, general manager of the outbound tourism department of Lvmama.com, said that represents a milestone for Chinese tourists traveling to Peru and South America.

zhaoxinying@chinadaily.com.cn