Pope Leo Visit Boosts Peru Tourism: About 850,000 Domestic Travelers and 50,000 International Visitors Expected, Pope's Route Generated 450 Million Soles in Its First Year
Pope Leo arrived in Peru on November 11 for a six-day visit with stops in Lima, Cusco, Pucallpa and Chiclayo. Peru's trade and tourism minister, Rogers Valencia, said around 850,000 domestic travelers are expected to see the pope and another 50,000 international visitors are also expected, adding that flights were fully booked and tourism infrastructure ready.
Leo, the US-born Robert Prevost, holds United States and Peruvian citizenship and is the first Peruvian citizen to lead the Catholic Church. He spent years in Peru as a missionary and served as bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. State agency PromPerú said a government-promoted tourism route known as the "Paths of Pope Leo XIV" has already drawn more than one million visitors since his election to the papacy in May 2025 and generated 450 million soles, about 125 million dollars, in its first year.
More than two million people are expected to attend Masses in Lima and Chiclayo. In Lima's Gamarra shopping district, clothing maker Victoria Quiñones said she expected a threefold increase in work during October and November as demand swells for pope-themed T-shirts and souvenirs. Leo was due to land at Callao Air Base at 5:30 p.m. local time before heading to the presidential palace for an address to President Keiko Fujimori.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：秘鲁奇克拉约大教堂航拍（资料图）。图中是奇克拉约大教堂的双塔立面与周边街区。H.dav.are，CC BY-SA 4.0，经Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: file photo. H.dav.are, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
