Peru Wins as Best Culinary Destination in the World
Peru’s efforts to brand itself, and especially to focus on its cuisine to promote tourism and development paid off on Wednesday night in New Delhi India when it was awarded the first World Travel Award as the Leading Culinary Destination.
For this award Peru first won the regional competition and then competed against the branded cuisines of greats in the culinary world that were finalists, such as France, Italy, Spain, China, Japan, Thailand, India, and Mexico.
Votes were cast online in the following fashion. A public relations campaign encouraged people to visit a WTA website and cast a vote. If they were members of the International Air Transport Association and could provide a valid membership number then their votes counted double.
As a result, winning this award shows the power of concerted branding and public relations campaigns through motivating both interested individuals and industry members to vote and determine a winner. They are a measure of Public relations and branding, although they have resonance in drawing travelers to a destination.
The winners were announced in a “glittering gala ceremony” at the Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi. It attracted movers and shakers in the travel industry and in the formation of international opinion.
Peru’s minister of External Commerce and Tourism, José Luís Silva sees the award as a great honor for Peru and a recognition of the value of its gastronomy.
“This award is the result of an effort over years by thousands of people throughout the country who have ben working to make our gastronomy the best in the world.”
At the ceremony Peru’s premier tourist attraction Machu PIcchu recieved recognition as the World’s Leading Green Destination.