Social entrepreneurship and sustainable tourism in Colombia: A baseline study in post-conflict regions

This article analyses the presence of sustainable tourism and social entrepreneurship in various Colombian regions, which are currently undergoing post-conflict management, in order to establish a baseline against which to monitor and assess future tourism initiatives and growth. The study was done using a qualitative methodology that included semi-structured interviews with tourism actors, with four main dimensions: social, economic, political, and environmental. The research revealed that, after the signing of the peace treaty, tourism in previously conflict-affected regions significantly increased due to the growth of privately owned tourism enterprises focused on profit making. However, levels of sustainable development, community involvement, and social entrepreneurship initiatives remain low; hence, the tourism value chain needs to be strengthened with local community involvement in order to reconstruct the social fabric. This can be done with social entrepreneurial practice, through sustainable tourism, or Sustainable Social Tourism, considered an innovative model that empowers communities and contributes to peace building