Building resilience: creative economy and social innovation in community tourism of the Wayuu indigenous social organization in the Colombian Caribbean
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18041/2382-3240/saber.2026v21n1.13223Keywords:
Community-based rural tourism, social innovation, creative economy, Wayuu social organization, tourism resilienceAbstract
This article examines how the creative economy and social innovation function as resilience mechanisms within community-based rural tourism (CBRT) led by the Wayuu Indigenous organization in La Guajira, Colombia. The study aimed to understand how local tourism enterprises integrate ancestral knowledge, cultural dynamics, and digital tools to foster sustainable development alternatives. Drawing on focused ethnography and in-depth interviews with ten Indigenous entrepreneurs, the research identified significant narratives and diverse organizational practices. Findings highlight three key dimensions: endogenous social innovation as a creative pathway, the emergence of hybrid governance models that combine formality with reciprocity, and the construction of resilience in response to structural threats and state absence. The results demonstrate that Wayuu resilience transcends passive adaptation, embodying instead an active form of cultural resistance. Ultimately, Wayuu community-based tourism emerges as an alternative model of sustainability with broader global relevance.
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