Tourism in poor regions and social inclusion

The porters of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

Bibliographic Data

ID12855950
AuthorsAlexandra Arellano (0009-0004-9797-0763, corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume53
Issue2
Pages104-118
Publication date2011-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueWorld Leisure & Recreation (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1026-1133 • E-ISSN: 2333-4509
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/04419057.2011.580551
OpenAlexW2043308551
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited20

In this paper, tourism's role as an agent of social exclusion/inclusion is examined in the context of the integration of Peruvian Southern Andean communities into the global tourism industry as porters on the Inca Trail. This is an arduous four-day hike leading to the archaeological complex of Machu Picchu. After years of mistreatment following the development of the Trail in the 1980s, these highly marginalised peasants living in high mountain villages mobilised themselves in a struggle for better working conditions. This paper explores the workers’ pathway to socio-economic mobility, a discussion based on qualitative data and guided by indicators of social exclusion as they relate to economic integration, employment, access to services, political representation, participation in civil society and social capital. It is argued that an increase in income generated by their involvement in tourist service provision cannot justify the porters’ mistreatment, and that an understanding of structural local inequalities is crucial to appraise poverty reduction. Despite some material benefits from this new, sporadic, employment opportunity, the assault on porters’ dignity, their enduring poor health and a widespread awareness of being exploited by the industry, raise fundamental problems relating to endemic inequalities and injustice

Context (archaeology · Development economics · Dignity · Economic growth · Economics · Geography · Inclusion (mineral · Inequality · Injustice · Political science · Poverty · Social exclusion · Sociology · Tourism · Cultural Industries and Urban Development · Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · Gender Studies · Tourism, Volunteerism, and Development

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