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Over 50 museums in Peru to offer free admission this weekend

Lima, May 15 (ANDINA). Peru's Ministry of Culture said Tuesday that more than fifty museums across the country will offer free admission from May 18 to 20, in celebration of International Museum Day.

The ministry administers over 50 museums throughout the country, including the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History of Peru, the Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum, Chavin National Museum, and Pukara Lithic Museum, among others.

The International Museum Day, which is celebrated worldwide each year on or about May 18, is an opportunity to celebrate the important role museums play in preserving our history, and encouraging an exploration of our future.

The Advisory Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) established International Museum Day in 1977 to encourage public awareness of the role of museums in the development of society.

This year the theme of the event is "Museums in a Changing World. New Challenges, New Inspirations."

Peru to celebrate National Potato Day with food festival

Lima, May 15 (ANDINA). Peru's central Junin region will feature a food festival and an exhibition of potato varieties to mark celebrations for the National Potato Day on May 30.

The festival, which is part of the activities promoted by authorities of Junin, will take place from May 22 to 30, the event's main day.

Junin will also provide training workshops aimed at potato producers and people who participate in the festival will learn about the importance of this product in the daily diet of Peruvians.

The Peruvian government declared May 30 as Potato National Day. The day is intended to promote the potato, its diversity and increase its consumption.

Sican museum to celebrate International Museum Day with free admission

Lima, May 14 (ANDINA). On the occasion of the International Museum Day, Sican National Museum, in Peru's northern Lambayeque region, will open to people for cost-free visit on Friday.

Sican Museum. Photo: ANDINA/Archivo.

Visitors will be able to appreciate the archeological richness of the museum from 09:00 to 17:00 hours and will enter in groups of 30 people.

Between 10:00 and 12:00 hours, traditional dances will be preformed at the front of the museum.

On Wednesday at 17:00 hours, the museum will feature a tour entitled 'Dialogando con el público' ('Talking with the public'), in which people will be able to visit the facilities of the museum guide by an archaeologist.

The International Museum Day is used as an occasion to raise awareness on the important role played by museums in the development of society.

Dynamism of Asian investments in Peru ensure higher corporate tourism

Lima, May. 13 (ANDINA). Asian investments in Peru register a greater dynamism ensuring an increased corporate tourism in the next two or three years, the president of the National Chamber of Tourism (Canatur), Carlos Canales, said Sunday.

He said Japanese and Korean entrepreneurs are willing to invest not only in the sectors of infrastructure and mining, but in services, finances, agriculture, and tourism, as was evident during the recent visit of President Ollanta Humala to Japan and the Republic of Korea.

"We saw that Asian investments, especially from Korea, will be more dynamic in the next two or three years because there is a strong interest from entrepreneurs to do business with Peru, which will push tourism", he told Andina.

Canales said Asian businesspeople are interested in the Peruvian hotel sector and its indicators such as ratios and amounts of investment returns and flows of tourists, especially from the corporate sector.

He stated it is essential to improve air connectivity with Asia through Korean Airlines and establish a direct flight for passengers between the capital of Korea, Seoul and Lima.

"This will improve connectivity not only with Korea and Japan but with other countries of Asia like China and Singapore, which represent a huge corporate market," he said.

Peru volleyball team to face Colombia in Olympic qualifier semis

São Carlos, Brazil, May 12 (ANDINA). The CSV Women's Continental Olympic Qualification Tournament pairings were solidified after Venezuela and Peru won their third round games on Friday at the Milton Olaio Filho Gymnasium in São Carlos, Brazil. Peru will play Colombia and Brazil will face Venezuela in Saturday’s semifinals.

The eventual winners of the tournament will qualify for the Games, set to take place in the Great Britian capital from July 27 to August 12.

In the first of Friday's semifinals Venezuela beat Chile 3-0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-22) and achieved the second victory in the competition. Venezuela coach Jose David Soares, praised the performance of his team.

“We played well,” Soares said. “We have a young team that alternate between good and bad moments. Chile does not have such a strong level and we won quickly.”

In the second match of the day, Peru were too good for Argentina winning 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-21) to top pool B and secure a spot in the semifinals while the defeat cost Argentina second place and a semifinal spot to Venezuela.

“Tomorrow we need to win the semifinal to arrive in the final who I think will be against Brazil,” Brenda Soriano said. “I expect a tough game in the semifinasl against Colombia”.

With Brazil, Venezuela and Peru already qualified, the third game on Friday saw Colombia book the last semifinal place with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-19) win over Uruguay.

President Humala opens Peruvian pavillion at Yeosu Expo

Lima, May 12 (ANDINA). Peruvian President Ollanta Humala has formally opened his country's pavilion at the Yeosu Expo 2012 in South Korea, a 93-day-long event aimed at highlighting the important role the ocean and coast play in everyday lives and the need to live in harmony with the world's marine environment.
The president said he expected many visitors would come to the Peruvian pavilion and learn more about Peru's rich marine life.

"Here, visitors can personally experience Peruvian products made of the country's marine resources. It's also an opportunity for people to taste Peruvian seafood," he said.

The international exposition held under the theme of "Living Ocean and Coast" with emphasis placed on pursuing sustainable resources development, preservation and creative maritime activities is expected to attract countless numbers of visitors from all over the world.

The fair held in the southern port city of Yeosu 455 kilometers south of Seoul has attracted the participation of 104 countries, 10 international organizations and numerous companies, according to organizers cited by Yonhap news agency.

The United States, China, Japan and many countries in Europe, the Middle East and Oceania have opened pavilions along with United Nations and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The exposition that runs through Aug. 12 will showcase the significance of the earth's marine environment and touch on global issues such as global warming, resource depletion and the need to preserve critical natural resources for future generations.

The Peruvian president visited the expo on the last day of his three-day trip to South Korea, during which he met with his counterpart Lee Myung-bak and visited SK Energy’s oil refinery complex in the southeastern coastal city of Ulsan.

Peru, first tourist destination for Japanese visitors in Latin America

Lima, May 09 (ANDINA). Peru is the first tourist destination for Japanese visitors in Latin America, as the country has received a total of 50,000 tourists from Japan, despite the adverse global situation, Peru's National Chamber of Tourism (Canatur) reported Wednesday.

President of Canatur, Carlos Canales, noted that Peru registered an increase of tourist arrivals from Japan, despite a decline in other countries.

"We thought that tourist arrivals from Japan will decrease, because there has been a decline of tourist arrivals from this country to other parts of the world, but we see that 50,000 Japanese people have visited our country this year," he noted.

During the official visit of Peru's President Ollanta Humala to Japan and Korea, Canales stated that Peru is promoting its tourist offer in Japan with different investment banks interested to carry out projects in this sector.

According to National Geographic's Traveler magazine
16:11 Chachapoyas on '2012 Tours of a Lifetime' list

Lima, May 08 (ANDINA). Chachapoyas has been chosen as one of National Geographic Traveler magazine’s seventh annual “50 Tours of a Lifetime”.

The magazine highlighted the archaeological treasures of the Chachapoya, “who built the massive complex of Kuélap around the ninth century—all at 9,800 feet above the Utcubamba Valley.”

Chachapoyas, located 2,235 meters above sea level in Peru’s northern Amazonas region, was home to the Chachapoyas culture, also called Warriors of the Clouds.

The magazine said it looked for “tours (including volunteer, adventure, family, and small-ship trips) designed for experience, immersion, sustainability, and cultural connection.”

Traveler included other destinations in Latin America, such as Brazil’s Costa Verde, Chile’s Patagonia, and Argentina’s northwest mountains, among others.

Last December the editors of National Geographic named Peru as one of 2012's best trips in the world, and praised the local cuisine, PeruThisWeek.com reported.

“Peru is blessed with incredible biodiversity—a bounty that is clearly reflected on its plates,” it said.

Peru to promote exports, tourist attractions in South Korea

Lima, May 08 (ANDINA). Peru will seek to promote its non-traditional products and tourist attractions at the International Exposition Yeosu Korea 2012, to be held from May 12 to August 12 this year in Yeosu, South Korea, said Alberto Massa, Peru’s General-Commissioner for the event.

"We will promote commercial and tourism-related operations for which we have coordinated with various state agencies and private associations. We want to give millions of people in Asia and the world a taste of what Peru has to offer," he told Andina news agency.

He said Peru aims to maximize the business opportunities under the free trade agreement (FTA) with Korea, through the diversification of its exports to that country in non-traditional sectors related to fisheries and the processing of seafood products for direct human consumption.

Massa noted that South Korea is emerging as a promising market for fisheries products with high added value, since this country is the world's fifth largest export destination in the sector.

Therefore, Peru should highlight its export-oriented agricultural, fisheries and aquaculture production through its signature dishes, targeting different groups in the process, he added.

"The Yeosu Expo 2012 and Peru's participation with a trade-economic promotion area would result in a privileged access platform to Asian markets," he said.

In the tourism sector, the event is an opportunity to cement the image of Peru as a potential destination for rural community-based tourism, ideal for those looking for adventure, nature and outdoor activities.

In this regard, he said the Expo will help attract more tourists, oceanographers and explorers from Korea and other countries in Southeast Asia.

The 441-square meter Peruvian pavilion, which will be opened by President Ollanta Humala later this week, is located in a privileged area and features the slogan 'Peru: Surfing into the Future', referring to the country's rapid economic growth.

"Peru is on the crest of the wave towards the future, with stability and the same confidence with which our athletes surf the waves. We have a stable, fast growing economy and thus we appeal to a sport that is particularly attractive to Asian people," he said.