G Adventures has paused operations up to and including 5 February after demonstrations, road blockages and closures made it "impossible" to run trips as planned.

The operator is currently in the process of advising travellers on affected departures of the situation.

"We understand how disappointing this news will be, so we will be working with them to book their next adventure, and are offering either a full refund or future travel credit for fully paid passengers," a spokesperson told TTG.

"All travellers currently on the ground in Peru are safe, and we are working to re-route itineraries as needed to avoid areas of protest until we can get them safely home."

Elsewhere, Intrepid Travel confirmed to TTG the political instability in the country has also forced the company to suspend operations in Peru until 5 February.

The operator currently has one group of three customers in Peru, who have been safety evacuated to hotel accommodation in Cusco.
 
Gary Cohen, Intrepid’s managing director for Latin America, said: “Our thoughts are with the people of Peru at this difficult moment, particularly all of our team and their families, who have been impacted by recent events and the closure of the tourist sites.
 
"Customers who are affected have been advised of the cancellations and have been offered the option of either a refund (minus unrecoverable costs) or credit to use towards future travel."

The moves come following months of political unrest in the country, which has seen the majority of Peru’s national airports pause operations and Machu Picchu close. 

Meanwhile, Danny Callaghan, chief executive of the Latin American Travel Association (Lata) said the situation is proving "very challenging" for the tourism industry as it recovers from the two-year Covid-19 shutdown.

Despite the news coming from Peru being concerning, Callaghan continued, he reminded travellers the protests are confined to certain areas and much of the country is "still perfectly normal".

"When protests are taking place, they are always planned in advance, so any tourist who is prepared to be a little flexible and is travelling through an operator will still be able to have their holiday and see most, if not all, of the sights," he reassured. 

"Whilst there have been temporary closures of airports, and areas such as Machu Picchu, these have been pre-emptive, rather than as a direct result of problems."

Echoing Callaghan, Martin Johnson, co-founder and director of Latin Routes, said despite the protests, it has been possible for clients to continue their travels in Peru, because the demonstrations are normally in particular locations and scheduled in advance.

"This means we can ensure our clients avoid the hotspots, with some flexibility needed to adjust their itinerary at times," he added.

"For upcoming departures in February, we are talking to clients about any potential implications to their travels and offering a free of charge option to defer their trips, where we feel there will be a significant impact to their plans."