Análisis del impacto económico del turismo comunitario en la provincia Tungurahua

Abstract

The deficient economic development and the devaluation of the cultural identity in the communities of the Tungurahua Province caused by the low income earned by the agricultural work, the deficient infrastructure, among others, make community tourism an important economic activity that promotes and creates benefits in the communities through the management and promotion of natural and cultural resources. The objective of the research is to identify the most developed tourist activity in the communities of the Tungurahua Province and to measure the economic impact of community tourism through the Cost Benefit Model. With a quantitative approach and under the modality of field, 174 surveys were carried out directed to the entrepreneurs dedicated to the tourist activity in communities and rural areas taken by sampling of 1508 existing tourist establishments in the database of the Ministry of Tourism of Ecuador (2015). Based on surveys carried out, cultural / social tourism with 40% acceptance turns out to be the most practiced tourism modality in the communities and rural areas of Tungurahua, in turn the tourism services that generated the highest income are the sale of traditional items and traditional products with a monthly income of $ 322,007.14 followed by the food and beverage service with $ 317,995.71. In conclusion, it was found that the income is greater than the expenses, giving a positive value of $ 1.39 for every dollar invested, thus generating a positive economic impact, to more than 230 jobs generated. It is proposed that promoting community tourism will improve the living standards of the residents of Tungurahua; at the same time, it will enrich the cultural identity and the natural heritage of the communities.