Description

The book Living Heritage and Sustainable Development: A Perspective on Cultural Tourism in Peru offers an in-depth reflection on the relationship between culture, identity, and sustainability, analyzing how cultural tourism can become a tool for social and economic transformation. From an integrative perspective, it conceives heritage not as a static legacy, but as a living practice that is continuously renewed within Peruvian communities. Across four chapters, the book examines the role of tourism as a cultural mediator, its impact on collective memory, and its capacity to generate inclusive and participatory development models. The work highlights community-based tourism as a sustainable model that promotes hospitality, local autonomy, and solidarity-based economies, showcasing experiences in the Andes, the Amazon, and the coastal regions, where cultural identity becomes a source of well-being. It also presents the country’s main cultural routes, such as the Qhapaq Ñan, Cusco, Puno, and national gastronomy, interpreted as symbolic itineraries that connect tradition, territory, and creativity. Likewise, it recognizes the value of regional expressions such as the Dance of the Negritos of Huánuco, a National Cultural Heritage, and integrated routes such as Kotosh–Tomayquichua–Tingo María, which combine archaeology, tradition, and nature, reflecting the articulation between past and present. The text emphasizes the need for participatory policies, ethical education, and responsible governance that balance conservation and development. Overall, it argues that sustainable cultural tourism is a space for encounter in which heritage acts as a driving force for identity, dignity, and the future of contemporary Peru.

Suggested citation (APA, seventh edition)

Lujano-Ortega, Y., Bustinza-Choquehuanca, S. A., Acero-Ticona, G., Condori-Pilco, L. B., Flores-Aroni, B. A., & Achata-Cortez, C. A. (2026). Living heritage and sustainable development: A perspective on cultural tourism in Peru. Sophia Editions.