Lima will be connected to both Toronto and Montreal
IAN STALKER
Air Transat will soon begin offering an airborne link between this country and Peru, welcome news to Peruvian tourism officials left without direct air service between this country and their homeland since Air Canada suspended Lima flights during the pandemic.
Transat will offer direct flights to Lima from both Toronto and Montréal, using new Airbus A321LRs, which feature 199 seats in the widest single-lane air cabin available plus wider seats, and entertainment.
Flights from Toronto to Lima will start on Dec. 20 and be on Wednesdays and Saturdays, while Montreal-Lima flights will start Dec. 22 and be on Fridays. Air Transat plans to serve Lima year-round.
“This is great for the company. This is great for the country (Peru),” Jhadyd Gonzalez, Air Transat’s national sales manager, said during a recent Toronto event.
Passengers will leave this country at night and arrive in Lima at 6 a.m.
Jaime Cardenas of Peruvian tourism board PromPeru told the same event that his homeland is a “land of breath-taking beauty and rich heritage.”
Peruvian history dates back thousands of years, Cardenas continued.
Iconic archeological site Machu Picchu is a “mystical wonder that will take you back in time,” he added.
But Cardenas added that Peru is much more than that lofty Inca retreat, with the country home to many pre-Columbian ruins, among them northeastern Peru’s Kuélap fortress, which has seen a year of restoration and is again welcoming visitors. Found in the dense cloud forest of Amazonas region, the fortress rests at an altitude of 3,000 metres and comprises administrative, religious and residential sectors meticulously crafted by the Chachapoyas culture between the 11th and 14th centuries. To experience Kuélap, visitors must travel to the city of Chachapoyas before making their way to the town of Nuevo Tingo where a cable car offers access to the fortress. Travellers can also opt for a nine-kilometre hike to the site.
Cardenas also cited exotic Peruvian wildlife, which includes toucans, jaguars, condors and pumas.
The upcoming Air Transat routes were welcomed by tour operator representatives on hand for the event, including Brenda Bradley of The Travel Corporation. “It’s wonderful to know that there’s a Canadian carrier going to Peru,” she said, adding that the service will make it easier for “people to explore such a wonderful country.”
Tom Smith, vice president, sales and marketing, North America for Intrepid Travel, fondly recalled his own time living in the South American nation. “In 35 years of business, Peru is consistently one of Intrepid’s most loved destinations and I’m sure anyone who’s had the chance to visit can understand why,” he said. “Despite living there for 18 months as general manager of our DMC in Peru, it still wasn’t enough, there are so many parts of the country that I need to go back to experience.
“Peru is finally seeing a strong comeback following the pandemic and we are anticipating 2024 to be a big year for the destination,” Smith continued. “This year Intrepid worked with local communities in the Sacred Valley to open a new section of the Quarry Trail to give travellers a previously unseen experience as they journey to Peru’s iconic Machu Picchu. The sacred site continues to draw in travellers, currently garnering almost 50,000 google searches from Canadians a month! We look forward to continuing to work with the Peruvian tourism board and local communities to innovate and grow tourism more sustainably in the region.”
