Peruvian President Ollanta Humala has unveiled plans for a new airport near Cusco which he says will boost tourism to the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu and the surrounding region.
The current airport, which is only able to handle limited daytime flights, was not sufficient, Ollanta Humala said.
The government will invest $460 million in the project, he said.
Machu Picchu is Peru’s top tourist attraction but there are concerns over the impact of high visitor numbers.
Peruvian President Ollanta Humala has unveiled plans for a new airport near Cusco which he says will boost tourism to the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu and the surrounding region
“This new airport will not only mean more tourists will be able to come, but it will generate more jobs… and help surrounding communities,” President Ollanta Humala said.
At a ceremony on Wednesday, he enacted a law that allows the expropriation of land in the town of Chinchero where the new international airport would be built.
The investment would help the government to tackle poverty, he said, “while always respecting ancient culture”.
Tourism is the main source of income in the region.
Machu Picchu is a world heritage site and the UN’s cultural agency, UNESCO, has previously warned about uncontrolled access and urged the authorities to make conservation a priority.
Currently, entrance to Machu Picchu is limited to some 2,500 visitors a day, amid concerns about the impact on the environment and citadel.
Cusco is the main starting point for visitors wishing to visit the site, who can make the 112 km (70 mile) journey either on foot or via bus and train.
The citadel of Machu Picchu, located 2,500 m (8,200 ft) above sea level, was built in the 15th Century by the Incas.
It was rediscovered in 1911 by US historian Hiram Bingham.
The Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, where Whitney Houston was laid to rest in a private ceremony Sunday was closed to fans on Monday amid a crush of visitors eager to catch a glimpse of the fallen superstar’s grave.
As news helicopters idled overhead, more than 100 vehicles clogged Fairview Cemetery’s narrow lanes, the traffic spilling from the entrances to the streets outside.
“Someway, somehow, word got out that the cemetery was open to the public,” Westfield police Capt. Cliff Auchter said.
“And in the early afternoon, there was a tremendous increase in visitors that created tremendous traffic problems.”
Early in the day, cemetery personnel and police allowed small groups of visitors to approach the grave site, its bare earth heaped with flowers. Two officers stood watch nearby, ensuring nothing was taken.
But as morning blended into afternoon, the number of visitors grew, causing gridlock on the unmarked paths and on roads outside the cemetery.
In addition, according to a Westfield police officer at the scene, members of the singer’s family arrived to pay their respects and were troubled by the crowds. The relatives requested that access to the site be restricted, said the officer, who declined to give his name.
A day after Whitney Houston was buried at Fairview Cemetery in New Jersey her grave appeared covered by flower
Police closed the cemetery gates shortly after 2:00 p.m., allowing passage only to those with loved ones inside. Whitney Houston, who died on February 11 at age 48, is buried near her father, John Russell Houston, Jr.
Monday’s spectacle brought some substance to the fears voiced by Westfield residents leading up to the burial. They said they worried Fairview would become a tourist attraction, transforming a place of reverence into a carnival.
Ted Simpson, a resident of neighboring Garwood, posted a hand-made sign across the street from the cemetery, urging the public to stay away.
“Please let Whitney rest in peace,” the sign read.
“If you want to show your love, buy her music.”
Whitney Houston’s family has struggled to maintain its privacy, no small task given the public interest in the death of one of the world’s top-selling female vocalists and the scores of celebrities who attended her funeral in Newark Saturday.
Cliff Auchter, the Westfield police captain, said that until further notice, the cemetery will be open only to those with family buried there.
“I don’t know how long this is going to go on for,” he said.
“People will always be trying to pull a fast one to get in. We have to be attuned.”
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