Latin Routes reported a year-on-year surge for Peru of 170%, while sales for Chile and Argentina went up by 90% and 30% respectively.
The tour operator also highlighted a surge in popularity for Uruguay and Guyana and multi-centre holidays, as people want to maximise experiences while in the continent.
The news of a bumper sales month in February comes as some countries in the continent have been plagued in recent years by political instability and security issues, prompting the UK Foreign Office to issue travel warnings.
Director and co-founder Martin Johnson said the year-on-year growth means that the public recognises “that Latin America is a huge continent and only a few isolated locations have been affected” leaving the rest “operating business as usual”.
Peru and Ecuador feature among the most-impacted countries, with Peru starting its long road to recovery last summer following a few difficult years marred by a slow restart post-pandemic and political unrest.
Meanwhile Ecuador is currently under a state of emergency, recently extended by another 30 days from the previous 60, due to gang and political violence. President Daniel Noboa, who was elected in October 2023 on a promise to crack down on violent crime, extended the state of emergency late last week after a series of prison riots culminated in the escape of notorious gang leaders.
The situation in Quito has forced Peruvian authorities to put several provinces on the Ecuadorian border under state of emergency.
“Even for travellers to Ecuador, thanks to the careful and nuanced advice from the FCDO, as well as regular on-the-ground updates from our ground handlers and Lata, travellers to the main touristic sites on the mainland and the Galapagos Islands have largely enjoyed their holidays with minimal or no inconvenience,” Johnson concluded.
“While forward bookings are a little down, we hope to see a good recovery here in the second half of the year."
