Peru announced plans to build an airport near the city of Cusco, which is located near the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu, in an attempt to boost tourism to the area.
President Ollanta Humala said in a statement that his government would invest around $460 million into the project because with the new airport, “more tourists will come” and there will be “more jobs for the surrounding areas.”
“We will gladly give the money … to communities to help overcome poverty… but always out of respect for the ancient culture” of the Inca empire, which lasted from the early 13th century to around the 17th century, he added.
Humala said the current airport is not sufficient enough for tourism purposes. On Wednesday, he passed a law that allows for the expropriation of land in the town of Chinchero to build the new airport.
Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the top tourist destination in Peru, but there has been concerns that the growing number of visitors to the site will damage its mystique.
Local authorities told AFP that around 3,000 tourists visit Cusco, the former capital of the Inca empire, as well as Machu Piccu.
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