Background – Over the past five or so years, Peru has been experiencing steady economic growth and the number of poor people as a percentage of the general population has shown a slight decrease. Nevertheless, 44 of every 100 Peruvians continue to live in precarious conditions, the majority of them in rural areas. Hardest hit of all are the small farming families, for whom agriculture represents the sole source of income. In the future, tourism could provide them with a second pillar of support. Peru’s greatest attraction – in addition to the buildings of earlier cultures – is the natural beauty of its landscape. All the same, if these are to be used to attract tourists, their protection must be actively encouraged. It is only for as long as nature remains unspoiled and the local population is able to welcome the travellers that tourism in these regions will retain its potential for development.

Project – Each year, 140,000 travellers view the world-famous Nazca Lines. Even more visit the ruined town of Machu Picchu. Very few of these people pay any attention to this region, through which the traditional route links each of the attractions to another. Building up the corridor that links Cuzco with Machu Picchu into a tourist attraction and marketing it lies at the heart of a project, which Swisscontact is implementing together with local partners and which is financed by the Inter-American Development Bank.
Thanks to a sealed road, this region of southern Peru is quite accessible. However, in order to be in a position to receive the travellers up there, the number of hotels and restaurants will have to be increased and further tourism-related services must be provided. Examples include guided hikes to places where the visitors are able to experience local traditions.
The goal of this project, which started up in 2008, is to ensure that 1,200 of the region’s inhabitants can generate, or increase, their income through tourism, either as a small enterprise or as an employee in a hotel, restaurant or another company or as a service provider, e.g. with sewing work for the hotel industry or the production of traditional breads and pastries.