Inkaterra Founder & Chairman, José Koechlin, was named one of the “100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality 2022,” on the yearly list announced by the International Hospitality Institute in its official magazine’s August edition.

“I am deeply grateful and humbled with this outstanding recognition from the International Hospitality Institute,” stated José Koechlin. “It is a validation of a lifetime devoted to ecotourism as a means to conserve biodiversity and to champion sustainable development in Peru.”

José Koechlin established Inkaterra in 1975, pioneering ecotourism and sustainable development in Peru. Acknowledged by the United Nations as the First Climate Positive Hotel Brand in the World, Inkaterra celebrates Peru’s nature and culture through its holistic approach – the brand produces scientific research as a basis for biodiversity conservation and the wellbeing of local communities.

Among his recent achievements, José Koechlin leads Inkaterra and AJE Group’s groundbreaking initiative to make Machu Picchu the first carbon-neutral Wonder of the World. Through an innovative waste management strategy, Koechlin, Inkaterra and AJE Group successfully transformed Peru’s most iconic destination into a circular economy.

Through NGO Inkaterra Asociación, Koechlin has contributed to science through flora and fauna inventories. 903 bird species are registered at Inkaterra grounds as well as 372 native orchid species (the world’s largest collection in its habitat, according to the American Orchid Society), whilst 29 new species to science found at Inkaterra have been described by fellow researchers.

Cultural initiatives led by José Koechlin include the publication of numerous books, music albums, educational tools, and the international exhibition ‘Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru,’ produced in alliance with World Heritage Exhibitions – an all-new, immersive museum experience boasting a stunning selection of 192 artifacts from Larco Museum (one of the most impressive collections of gold treasures to ever tour the world) and the first-ever VR tour of Machu Picchu, showcasing Peru’s historic legacy and extraordinary biodiversity.

Winner of the 2015 PURE Award for Contribution to Experiential Travel, and named by AACSB in its ‘100 Influential World Leaders’ list, José Koechlin is also Chairman of the Peruvian Hotel Society, Vice Chairman of the National Chamber of Tourism (CANATUR), and emeritus board member of Conservation International (Washington, D.C.).

The International Hospitality Institute is a global advocacy, training, and standards organization for the hospitality industry. As the only organization representing all stakeholders in the global hospitality industry, IHI offers certifications, certificates, memberships, and scholarships to hospitality practitioners and allied entities worldwide. In addition to organizing the Global Hospitality Summit, the biggest annual global hospitality event featuring the world’s most respected thought leaders in hospitality, the organization has created the International Hospitality Hall of Fame™ to celebrate hospitality luminaries for their significant contributions to the field of hospitality. Honorees will be inducted into IHHF every year. IHI plans to build the Hospitality Hall of Fame Center and Museum which hospitality professionals and students from all over the world can visit to learn the rich history of hospitality.

Visit the International Hospitality Institute's LinkedIn page to see award winners and their achievements all over the world.

Caretas Magazine highlighted the Peruvian Hotel Society’s 20th anniversary and José Koechlin’s reelection as the organization’s Chairman for the 2022-2024 term in its most recent issue. The magazine published an interview where the Inkaterra founder shared his vision on the future of the hospitality industry in Peru and its positioning on a global scale. “We Peruvians have a 5,000-year DNA. Being one of the cradles of civilization has shaped us into an amicable society”, José Koechlin stated. “Our country is identified by its natural diversity and ancestral knowledge; this is expressed in gastronomy, fashion, and architecture… There is no other place in the world where this occurs in such an explicit way. We have a vocation for creating wealth through our own Peruvian identity.”

Thus, the Peruvian Hotel Society is helping tourism become the country’s leading economic activity. “By improving our legal framework and infrastructure conditions, we can improve the quality of life among all workers in our industry. This is essential for their predisposition, their natural joy, of welcoming every traveler who visits us,” José Koechlin says.

Additionally, José Koechlin foresees with optimism how the tourism industry is resuming operations in Peru, since the vaccine against COVID has proven its success: “In the Northern Hemisphere people are eager to travel. As in the 1920s, when the world managed to control the Spanish flu, now people are experiencing the joy of living and the need of travel. Nowadays, travel is essentially a human right.”

José Koechlin notes that the State plays a key role in reactivating the tourism industry, an industry that represented 10% of Peru’s GDP before the pandemic. “We still need faster mechanisms for credit,” says Koechlin, focusing on the need to create more jobs, develop new destinations and attract new investments.