During 2020, the team continued working internally, preparing to receive our passengers again once tourism resumes in the country. That moment arrived, and little by little, the travellers are coming to Peru. We are happy to accompany them on their adventure, always eager to continue showing Peruvian wonders to the world.
We spoke with Jose Pedraza, General Director of LimaTours, about the company's work in the last year, the challenges that arose and the strengths that helped the organization overcome the pandemic..
How has LimaTours adapted to the current global situation?
We adapted mainly in two ways: the first through remote work, accommodating ourselves and making sure we have the necessary tools to make working from home efficient. The second way of adaptation was from a business point of view. Despite having been practically paralyzed for a year, this has allowed us to review our processes. We focused on digitizing the company, on reviewing our entire value chain. This circumstance has been a reset for us, and we seek to get the best out of it.
What are the strengths that have kept LimaTours active during this time?
At LimaTours, we have five fundamental pillars. The first is our financial strength, which we have achieved because we could save our profits in previous years, allowing us to face this pandemic. The second is the human team, our know-how that lies in the company's people and with whom we have maintained good communication despite the situation. The third pillar is the product, which we have redesigned according to the market and each traveller with interesting possibilities. The fourth pillar is the price, which has been renegotiated with better conditions to position ourselves as a competitive company with an unbeatable quality-price proportion. The fifth pillar is digitization, both internally and towards our customers and suppliers.
LimaTours turns 65 years in 2021, and we have always been at the forefront, using the tools available to offer a better service every time, according to the circumstances.
“We focused on digitizing the company, on reviewing our entire value chain”
Why should a client trust LimaTours?
They must trust us because LimaTours throughout its history has demonstrated impeccable ethics. They must trust for the strong foundations that the destination and our products have. For us, our clients are more than strategic allies; they are part of the LimaTours family.
What expectations do you have about the near future of tourism in Peru?
I think we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Today we are already receiving bookings and we are operating with biosafety protocols. It is a matter of patience. There is optimism and I think there will be a rebound effect. Once the public feels more secure they will travel again, especially after the quarantines and restrictions, they will look for something different and we will be happy to receive them.
As CEO of the company, what have been the biggest challenges during this stage?
In the first place, the biggest challenge is to keep the team united and motivated in such unique circumstances, where people are also at risk of being infected. Despite the distance, the team has remained very close. The second challenge was to study the options of what to do for the good of the organization at a time when there is no business. Faced with this, we looked inwards: we asked ourselves what we can improve, what processes can be simplified, how to make the company state-of-the-art.
We had previously been improving changes, but this time accelerated the process by taking advantage of the opportunity and making the best of a difficult situation. We could analyze our markets, improve products and adapt to new travel trends. Our objective was to strengthen ourselves as an organization and we have achieved that.
“I look forward to the coming months and the reservations we have are very interesting”
How do you see the future of LimaTours in the coming months and years?
After working on the digitization and reorganization of the company, we are returning to the market much stronger. We have top-class products and extraordinary prices. We have been in constant contact with our clients and gain new and important ones, and we are prepared to receive all requests for different types of product because our offer is broad.
During this time, we also take the opportunity to train and be ready to take on new challenges. I look forward to the coming months, and the reservations we have are very interesting. It is a matter of being patient. We are sure that soon we will receive them in our house as before.