For the past 3+ months our Papi’s Treks founder Mike has been developing and running live guided virtual tours, a completely new experience! What has this been like for a small business and local tour operator like us?

We didn’t really know what to expect, but we’ve been overwhelmed with the response. It has helped the company not only to survive difficult times but to thrive, and more importantly, it has enabled us to keep supporting local families and communities. Keep reading to find out more!

Unprecedented Times

To give it some context, we have to look back. Obviously the past year of 2020 has been challenging for many, and particularly so for those in the tourism industry. The pandemic has impacted the country of Peru considerably as tourism is in the top 5 sources of income - and in regions like Cusco, local communities are extremely dependent on tourism. Similarly, the COVID19 infection rates have been very high in Peru and lockdown restrictions very tough. Of course, the safety and health of our customers will always be the number one priority so there’s no question but to comply with continuously changing regulations. But the result is that despite some (limited) government support, we’ve seen ourselves and our friends - local guides, communities, tour operators big and small - struggle to survive, some even forced out of business.

Thinking back to just over a year ago, when the country of Peru unexpectedly went into lockdown within 24 hours of the government announcement, we had some customers on a tour with us which meant they had to cut short their trip - luckily we managed to help them get back home safely before the borders closed. But we had no idea what was coming next! We definitely were caught be surprise by just how long this global situation would last, and with the pace of changing recommendations and regulations.

In the early days of the pandemic as we had no tours to run, we focused on improving our custom itineraries and expanding our website. We even created a little activity book to keep customers entertained at home and still thinking about us and Peru!

Adapting to the New Normal

In every time of adversity comes the great opportunity for innovation. How lucky we were to have found such innovative thinking with virtualtrips - as mentioned on their website: “co-founders John and Liam wanted to help people stay connected with the world and for those in the travel industry to continue doing what they love.” But the platform goes way beyond just that, it’s developed into a warm and supportive community - a family.

As our business partner in Lima, Vanessa Vasquez of Adventurous Travel Guide, says so eloquently: virtual tours has not only enabled us to keep working, it has also allowed us to become better guides! We learn new skills, as we figure out how to deliver engaging 1 hour tours in this new format and with new technical considerations like how strong the signal is, how to handle the phone and gimbal, etc. Moreover, it has returned to us a positive outlook on life and given us the joy of engaging with new people who might not even have traveled much before the pandemic - ultimately we are guides because we have so much passion for our country and culture and are eager to share this with as many as possible. Vanessa also regularly runs interesting and fun zoom seminars and experiences for free on YouTube and Facebook.

The Future Looks Brighter

So, as Mike has now been running very successful virtual tours of Machu Picchu for some months, his company is thriving and we owe so much gratitude to the platform and the big community of Virtual Voyagers as it wouldn’t have been possible without them.

Our next goal is to also give back, by continuing to organize virtual tours in locations such as Chinchero (traditional handweaving community) and soon Lake Titicaca (with the communities of Uros). Recently Mike organised a Peruvian music demonstration and concert with a local band - La Sonora Cusco - the first opportunity for them in a year to get together and play music. (which will be repeated!) It continues to be an honor to represent our country and bring these wonderful experiences to many families at home in this virtual format. For any of these special virtual trips, your support and your tips will go directly to these highly impacted local people and communities.

Ultimately, virtual tours offer mutual benefits: travelers get to connect with the world and travel to many places from the comfort of their home - experiencing things they might have never imaged to be able to do before because of constraints like time, money, etc. And we get to continue doing what we love, including supporting local communities in a sustainable way! We very much hope that virtual tours are part of our long-term offering for many more years to come when the pandemic has become a distant memory.

We’d like to end by again expressing our sincere thanks to all that have virtually traveled with us and supported us in every capacity - thank you for your time, your support, your questions, your reviews, your sharing with others and of course your tips. We hope you will continue to enjoy spending time with us, as we are thinking of more virtual experiences. Send you lots of love and good vibes from Peru! Please do consider visiting Peru as your next travel destination and we would be more than happy to welcome you here, and hope to see you in the not too distant future!