RESPONSIBLE TOURISM AND CULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY IN RURAL ECOLODGES: EVIDENCE FROM THE PERUVIAN AMAZON

Responsible tourism has established itself in recent decades as a key approach to reducing the negative impacts of tourism while generating sustainable benefits for host communities. Within this framework, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has taken on a strategic role in the hotel sector, especially in rural environments where sustainable practices can contribute to cultural conservation, social cohesion, and economic strengthening. However, academic literature shows that there is still a gap between the intentions declared by companies and the effective implementation of responsible initiatives, which raises the need for studies that delve deeper into their scope in specific contexts, such as rural Amazonian ecolodges. The objective of this study is to analyse the CSR practices implemented in a rural ecolodge in the Peruvian Amazon and their contribution to social, economic, environmental, and cultural sustainability at the community level. The research adopted a qualitative approach, oriented towards an in-depth analysis of the perceptions and experiences of the actors linked to the Amak Iquitos Ecolodge. Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted with three stakeholder groups: 13 ecolodge employees, 8 guests, and 3 travel agency intermediaries. The criterion of theoretical saturation guided the determination of the sample, while the information was processed using content analysis with the support of NVivo software. The validity of the instrument was ensured through expert judgement in sustainable tourism and qualitative methodology. The results show that CSR at the ecolodge manifests itself in four interrelated dimensions. In the social dimension, the hiring of residents, gender equality, and respect for cultural traditions stand out. In the economic dimension, local purchasing initiatives and the ‘zero-kilometre gastronomy’ model, which strengthen transparent value chains, are noteworthy. In the environmental dimension, energy-saving actions, waste management, and the use of renewable energies are identified, although partial dependence on fossil fuels persists. Finally, the cultural dimension emerged as a cross-cutting theme that integrates the Amazonian worldview and the preservation of ancestral knowledge, strengthening community attachment and the authenticity of the tourist experience. In conclusion, the study shows that CSR practices in rural Amazonian environments not only generate positive social, economic, and environmental impacts but also consolidate the cultural legitimacy of ecolodges. This finding reinforces the importance of considering the cultural dimension as a fourth pillar of CSR and contributes to the academic literature with a framework that connects corporate sustainability with the preservation of local identities in emerging tourist destinations.