Unesco demands answers from Peru over impact of new Machu Picchu airport

The UNESCO heritage police have warned the Peruvian government that they want to be consulted over plans to locate an airport near world heritage sites that include the Inca citadel and Sacred Valley ( Dan Collyns, "Unesco demands answers from Peru over impact of new Machu Picchu airport" the Guardian Fri 9 Aug 2019)

Unesco has sent a letter to the Peruvian government demanding information about the construction of a new airport near Machu Picchu and what impact it could have on the Inca citadel, the country’s biggest tourist attraction and a world heritage site. The letter, which has not been made public, reminds Peru of its obligation to protect its world heritage sites and directly refers to Chinchero, the historic village in the Sacred Valley, near the town of Cusco, where the controversial new airport is being built – to the horror of archeologists. The missive insists that Peru must coordinate with Unesco, the United Nations’ cultural agency, on any construction that could affect Machu Picchu and Cusco’s historic centre, also a world heritage site. [...] On a visit to the site this week, Peru’s transport minister, María Jara, said “nothing would stop” the airport’s construction.