Half-a-million local and foreign tourists are expected to visit Lambayeque, in northern Peru, reported the head of the Regional Directorate of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Dircetur), Salvador Hoyos Perez.

So far this year, around 320,000 tourists have visited this Peruvian northern department, land of the Mochica culture.

“We expect that by the end of the year the number of tourists visiting Lambayeque surpass 500,000,” he said.

During the national holidays, a great number of tourists arrived in the northern department eager to visit its tourist complexes and museums, and to enjoy its varied gastronomy and ecological centers.

Hoyos met on Tuesday with Peruvian Trade and Tourism Minister Martin Perez, who reported that over 1 billion soles will be destinated to boost the Moche Route as the second tourist destination in Peru.

This route will include the departments of Lambayeque and La Libertad, as the tourist potential of this area increases.

“Lambayeque has a great gastronomy, culture and nature. Therefore, turning the moche Route into the second tourist destination of the country will depend on our own efforts,” he said.

The region of Lambayeque was a land highly coveted by ancient cultures, and it is where the Mochica (Moche) culture rose to prominence between 0 and 600 AD.