Success in Progress? Tourism as a Tool for Inclusive Development in Peru’s Colca Valley

In contemporary Peru, high expectations have been set for tourism as an economic activity that can contribute to inclusive development by offering an alternative to extractive industries and providing new opportunities to historically marginalized populations, particularly in the rural sierra. We provide a historical overview of criteria for “success” in tourism and note that those criteria associated with coordinated planning and the effective incorporation of local populations in the tourism value chain are currently considered most important by governmental and other actors in Peru. The case study takes place in the Colca Valley in southern Peru, a mainstream and increasingly popular destination. We do not claim this case to be an unmitigated “success” but describe the benefits obtained from tourism by local populations in the districts of Cabanaconde, Tapay and Sibayo, while also noting their respective failures or shortfalls. We suggest that for the positive aspects to be disseminated more widely, and problems to be addressed, there needs to be effective spaces for participation, dialogue and decision-making by different actors. At present there are a number of impediments to this, which ultimately relate to deep-seated problems in the Peruvian society and economy. Thus, there is no straightforward pathway to “successful” tourism in Peru; rather, by opening spaces amenable to social and economic participation by local populations, tourism can be one part of a process of change towards more inclusive and sustainable development.