Project title: Sustainable Development through Regenerative Tourism: A Pilot Program on the Colca Valley High Route (Callalli, Tisco, Sibayo, and Tuti).
Principal investigators: Dr. Jonathon Day, gjday@purdue.edu, and Carmen Franco, cfranco@unsa.edu.pe
Tourism is an important industry for Peru, accounting for over 5.6% of GDP and almost 1 million jobs (WTTC 2022). It is the 3rd largest export earner for Peru. It is recognized as an important driver of economic, social, and environmental development (OECD 2018). Sustainable tourism is a pillar of Peru’s strategic planning for tourism development. Tourism has the potential to contribute to the sustainable development of the communities of the High Andes.
Unfortunately, the growth of tourism frequently results in a range of negative impacts on destinations with few benefits remaining in the community. Sustainable development through tourism works to maximize benefits for destination communities while minimizing the negative effects of tourism on these host communities. Additionally, ensuring that small and micro enterprises, the foundation of tourism in the region, are equipped to achieve the best outcomes requires capacity building and support. This research proposal meets the need of ensuring tourism development benefits host communities through building stakeholder capacity to conduct sustainable, regenerative tourism in the emerging High Route region of the Colca Canyon.
The main objectives and outputs of the project are:
1) Assessment of the challenges of supporting sustainable development of the destination communities of the Colca Valley (Callalli, Tisco, Sibayo, and Tuti).
2) development of sustainable and regenerative tourism projects in the community.
Lori Hoagland
Professor, Purdue University
Horticulture And Landscape Architecture
Nexus Institute Co-Director
E-mail: c4e-nexus@purdue.edu
Walter Daniel Leon-Salas
Associate Professor, Purdue University
Purdue Polytechnic Institute
Nexus Institute Co-Director
E-mail: c4e-nexus@purdue.edu
Dennis Macedo
Associate Professor, UNSA
Agronomy
Nexus Institute Co-Director
E-mail: dmacedova@unsa.edu.pe