Everyone who has been to Peru will testify that it is a beautiful country. However, in the past Peru has also been seen as an unstable country with political and economic problems. Here are just a few recent news items that show how Peru is improving economically and coming into its own on the world stage:
-According to Peru’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, Peru is set to grow its economy by 5.7 percent. This comes on the heels of 6.9 percent growth in 2011, and makes Peru the fastest growing country in Latin America.
-Two Peruvian businessmen are now on the Forbes 2012 World Billionaires List. This is a testament to Peru’s free enterprise system and should be inspiring for other businesspeople in Peru.
-Housing is improving thanks to efforts made by President Ollanta Humala. These efforts include new natural gas connections for homes in Lima, a “MiVivienda” home loan program, and construction of 500,000 new homes by 2016. Efforts also are being made to address the fact that about 75 percent of Lima’s homes do not meet construction standards.
-The new Lima Metro opened in January, and has already served 8 million passengers. A second underground line is planned for the Callao neighborhood.
-A new international airport in Cusco is under development.
-Both Cusco and Lima have been named as finalists in the New 7 Wonders Cities campaign (a global business initiative to document wonders of the world using 3D imaging technology).
-2011 was a record year for ecotourism in Peru. The industry grew 38 percent, and over 1 million tourists visited sites like Machu Picchu, Huascarán National Park, Tambopata Natural Reserve, and newly formed Paracas Natural Reserve.