ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on a structural political ecology of tourism in Nicaragua by bringing a post-structural perspective to bear on the ways that tourism has transformed the government's development discourse. In June of 2012 Nicaraguan granted a concession to the Hong Kong Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Company (HKND) to construct and operate the second inter-oceanic canal in the Western Hemisphere. The chapter demonstrates how a post-structural perspective, taking a cue from environmental and development anthropology, can build upon earlier efforts to outline a structural political ecology of tourism. A corporate social responsibility partnership between the Pellas Group and the Holland development service (SNV) offers training for small and medium tourism enterprises in the departments surrounding Lake Colcibolca. As the political ecology of tourism continues to evolve and develop, attention to both structural and post-structural forms of political ecology will be important for extending our understanding of the phenomenon of tourism.
