Listening to Other Voices in Tourism Entrepreneurship: The Case of Tourism Organisations in the Margins of Lima (Peru)

There are entrepreneurs and ‘other entrepreneurs’. The former are often studied in mainstream Western research resulting on their universalisation and the neglect of the latter. This is also the case in tourism entrepreneurship studies. As such, calls to redefine the conceptualisation of tourism entrepreneurs have emerged highlighting the need for breaking away from Western-centric forms. To answer this call, this chapter presents the case of tourism entrepreneurs in the periphery of Lima that aim to conserve a fragile ecosystem through ecotourism. However, their operations take place in a context that diverts from the norm. An informal housing market, a profitable illegal economic activity (i.e. land-trafficking), and alleged collusion between criminal organisations and local authorities have shaped a violent context that challenges and conditions the operations of these tourism entrepreneurs. This chapter aims to contribute to decolonising tourism entrepreneurship by analysing how a non-Western and violent context shapes the relationships between entrepreneurs and host community, authorities, visitors, and profit. This way, this chapter demonstrates the relevance of ‘listening to other voices’ to better understand the nature of tourism entrepreneurship.