Tourism in general and the hotel industry in particular have a very wide range of businesses associated with their business development. One of them is that of casinos and gambling. From that market comes today our Professional of the month.
by María Cecilia Hernández Ocampo
Being born in a country where infinite historical and cultural riches are discovered in every corner, full of natural wonders, ancestral wisdom, with a buoyant present and a future full of good expectations, it is inevitable to be attracted by the pleasure of showing it to the whole world, of narrating and disseminating it with pride and what better scenario for it than tourism.
Our Professional of the month of this edition is currently working on a job that satisfies you and fills you with happiness. Fredy Gamarra Elías, president of the Peruvian Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Related (Now Peru), shared with HOTEL MANAGEMENT a little piece of his life, his memories and his opinions about this market in the region.
Gamarra comes directly from the casino business, an industry that, according to our guest, in Peru is directly related to hospitality and tourism.
"I came to this universe of hospitality because of my relationship with the casinos where I was working for more than 17 years. I currently have a company of diverse representations for hotels, restaurants and casinos and since March 30, 2010 I am president of Ahora Perú, "says the professional.
This has not been the only high-level position that this character has occupied, he was also president of the National Society of Gambling of Peru (Sonaja) for being one of the pioneers of the slot machine business in his country.
But to get to know him more closely, it is necessary to walk through the different stages of his life, go to the past, return to the present and travel to his possible future to discover the passionate and gentle human being, the newly positioned grandfather who enjoys his family.
Fredy Gamarra Elías studied high school with the Marist Brothers of Barranco. When thinking about his future, he opted for Business Administration to complete his higher studies, which he complemented with a study in Computer Analysis and Programming, a specialization in Marketing at the Universidad del Pacífico in Lima and a postgraduate degree in National Defense at the Center for Higher National Studies.
Sell experiences
The hotel industry was waiting for him from the hand of his son José Antonio, when he made the decision to develop his own business: the boutique hotel in the city of Cusco called Andean Wings. This fact concatenated to his relationship with casinos, which can be considered as an industry related to that of hospitality, were unveiling a new path to our guest.
"Tourism, and all those businesses or activities that seek the promotion of a destination, seems wonderful to me. Not only because I feel that it has great potential and a lot of field to develop both in my country and in the region, but also because those of us who work for this know that there is no business in the world, other than this one, that deals with selling what we sell: experiences, "explains Gamarra Elías.
He also assures that his childhood dream of becoming an eminent doctor was far away and that very possibly the reason why it does not cross his mind to abandon this work is because he does not stop feeling emotion with each new experience that he manages to deliver to a tourist. "Everyone feels different and assumes the same experience differently. In this work, when working with people, everything is new."
Husband, father and grandfather
His traveling companion during the 41 years preceding this story, has been Nilma Amprimo, his wife with whom he now shares the joy of having two children: Rosa Elena, who lives in Arica, Chile and José Antonio, established in Cusco, and two granddaughters: Josefina, one year old and Julieta eight months old, one baby for each child.
"I really enjoy my family and my age. At my age, I no longer have fears: I think that in Peru we have lived through such difficult times, that they have been happily overcome, that nothing scares me anymore," he says.
It is because of that tranquility with which he lives his life that Fredy is accompanied by only two desires, none is impossible or unattainable, they are plans that feed his spirit: to enjoy as a grandfather, a new stage in my life that is fascinating and I am enjoying it a lot, and to be able to take two months off. "
But in addition to his family and his work, the president of Ahora Perú enjoys road trips, driving his car in the company of the imposing Peruvian landscapes while listening to all kinds of music. He stays in perfect physical shape by walking four kilometers a day and one of his distractions is watching football.
Talking about what you know
Sitting down with Fredy Gamarra Elías to talk about tourism in his country and his projections for it, is to prepare to listen to optimistic phrases but full of reality, with knowledge of the facts.
"The hotel industry in Peru has grown significantly in recent years, especially in Lima and Cusco: in Lima for the corporate segment and "backpackers", in Cusco for the vacationer. We must also mention the development of the beach area in the northern area," he says.
As a weakness, the professional considers that receptive tourism retains a dependence on the maximum icon of Peruvian tourism: Machu Picchu. "We are working on developing other circuits such as the Moche Route and others in different regions where we also have strengths in the sense of having a great tourist potential. The development of infrastructure and hotel service is not homogeneous in all our cities, since it is conditioned, of course, to demand".
It is precisely this development that can be achieved and those territories that have not been fully exploited by tourism that Fredy Gamarra sees a promising future for his country.
As he explains, the number of visitors has been growing steadily in recent years in Peru, a similar situation experienced by other Latin American countries despite important external factors such as the economic situation, especially in European countries. Based on this background and waiting for the economic recovery, it is expected to maintain growth.
To end our Professional of the Month calls for the union of Latin America as a region, in an attempt to turn it into a powerful territory: "I am a believer in business associations for several reasons, the main one is that we have many objectives and common interests, so together it is easier to achieve them. It should also be considered that before the authorities, whether at the national, regional or local level, and with the legislators, it is better to carry and defend an opinion as a team, that we do go each on their own."
