Tourism-based development in Cusco, Peru: comparing national discourses with local realities

A study comparing national-level development discourses in Peru with local perceptions in four rural communities of the Valle Sagrado, Cusco, reveals significant overlap between global development models and local views. However, it also highlights frustrations with tourism practices, exposing tensions with neoliberal economism and foreign influence. The research used Rapid Qualitative Inquiry (RQI) to analyze data from interviews, field notes, and documents collected over six months in 2013. Findings suggest that integrating local perspectives and interests into policy-making could enhance the outcomes of tourism-based development strategies.

Knight, D. W., Cottrell, S. P., Pickering, K., Bohren, L., & Bright, A. (2016). Tourism-based development in Cusco, Peru: comparing national discourses with local realities. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 25(3), 344–361. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2016.1213269