Purported to be two of the most expensive rail and bus routes per kilometer in the world, the train and bus succession which transports the 1.3 million tourists to Machu Picchu every year has been controlled by a government-granted monopoly for much of the last two decades. Fertransa, the private owner of the 30 km […]
During the 1990s, Alberto Fujimori ran Peru with an iron fist. Now, he’s serving a 25-year sentence after being found guilty of corruption and human rights abuses, including using death squads to carry out extrajudicial executions and overseeing the forced sterilization of at least 300,000 indigenous women. Today, Mr. Fujimori’s daughter, Keiko Fujimori, is running […]
Greenpeace’s mission is to ensure that the Earth and its beautiful diversity survive—without nuclear destruction, climate change, commercial overfishing, deforestation, or genetic engineering disrupting the health of the planet and its myriad creatures. They’re a non-profit focused on what we’re doing in the present, and how it will impact the future. But a recent stunt […]
July marked the 100th anniversary of the rediscovery of Machu Picchu, an appropriate time to reflect on the impact of tourism on the UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to the Associated Press, the ancient Incan city welcomes an average of 1,800 visitors per day. With so much tourist activity at the ruins and the surrounding […]
With conflicts over natural resources in Peru escalating, the passage of a new law permitting military intervention to address civil unrest has left Amnesty International concerned about potential human rights violations in the country. On September 11 the military was deployed under the new law in anticipation of protests over a proposed irrigation project in […]
Recently, considerable attention has been paid to tourism’s affect on particular travel destinations. One site under scrutiny is Machu Picchu, an ancient Inca city in Peru’s Andes Mountains. Geological research, controversial development projects, and actions by preservation groups have caused the world to turn an increasingly watchful eye on this historical landmark. A recent Newsweek […]
