Vulnerable Careers, tourism and livelihood dynamics among street vendors in Cusco, Peru

Abstract

Tourism is one of the most important economic activities in the city of Cusco, Peru. The expectations of its potentials for economic development are high. Cusco’s local government claims that tourism is and will continue to be beneficial to the economy of the city; and the city’s inhabitants expect tourism to increase their labour opportunities. Nevertheless, the job opportunities in the formal tourism industry are limited and often require financial investments, education or skill. To get their share of the tourist pie, many Cusqueños thus resort to informal economic activities and become self-employed. This book is about a specific group of these actors of the informal economy: the itinerant street vendors. The street vendors in the centre of Cusco work in the margins of the tourism industry, and sell souvenirs to tourists. This book reveals some of the dynamics at play in the street vendors’ livelihood opportunities. It demonstrates how street vendors can capitalize on tourism. The empirical material offered in this ethnographic study deals with street vendors’ vulnerability when making a living in tourism and will give the reader an idea of the impact a global economy can have on local populations of tourist destinations.