ABSTRACT

Based on various case studies in Colombia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, this contribution aims to analyze the role of tourism, and in particular some related discourses and representations, in the construction of peace. Although public authorities and international organizations often present tourism as a tool that helps enhance peace, research has demonstrated that the reality in the field is often much more complex. Soon after armed conflicts are over, some countries and regions experience a rapid growth in tourism, and the sector can offer promising business opportunities for recovering communities, including former war actors (e.g. soldiers, fixers, guerrillas, narco-traffickers) as well as the victims. Moreover, tourism can also provide them with a platform for disseminating specific discourses and representations of the war. Thus, while tourism stakeholders generally aim to detach the country’s image from the violence that preceded in order to attract visitors and foreign investors, the heritage and memory associated with the war are nevertheless elements mobilized in the tourism sector. Based on an analysis of the practices of what are conceived here as ‘memorial entrepreneurs,’ this chapter will show that different and sometimes competing actors contribute to building these touristscapes, using conflicting narratives and representations. Stakeholders involved in tourism and peace-building should thus be cautious when promoting tourism as a tool to enhance peace: while this sector can certainly contribute to reconciliation, it can also be a source of tensions.