Travel Packages in Demand for America Soccer Cup

Foreign tour operators have requested roughly 12,000 travel packages for fans of the America Soccer Cup scheduled to take place in Peru next July, the host country’s National Tourism Chamber (CANATUR) announced following the signing of a cooperation agreement with the tournament’s organizing committee.

Soccer buffs from Ecuador to Chile have already bought 5,000 tickets to watch games between both teams. Costa Rica with 800 tickets and Mexico (500) come next. “Ticket sales are meeting all expectations,” said CANATUR Chairman Carlos Canales, whose institution will couple 30,000 tickets with travel packages.

That high-rising demand is already anticipating hotel sellouts in each and every venue. Authorities in the northern cities of Chiclayo, Piura and Trujillo are trying to set up some 1,200 private houses to help ease the accommodation of tourists.

The locations of Chiclayo and Piura are home to the so-called Death Group, made up of Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico and Ecuador. Experts believe fans will bring down the house in both towns not only for the quality of the four teams, but also because of their proximity to Ecuador.

Lima, the nation’s capital, clusters a considerable chunk of Peru’s 70,000 hotel beds and should therefore face no accommodation problems, nor Arequipa, where Team Brazil will play the preliminary round.

Both event’s planners and CANATUR officials have committed themselves to establish air connections to bridge the three host cities of Arequipa, Tacna and Cuscus in southern Peru. Even though there’s only one game scheduled for the latter, authorities expect many soccer enthusiasts coming to Peru will also show interest in visiting the former Inca enclave.