Tourism in Ecuador

Sumak Kawsay (Quichua for or Good Living), a socialist economic approach to development, is enshrined in the Ecuadorian Constitution of 2008. The Sumak Kawsay National Plan (2013-2017) seeks to promote development through collective means by allocating public funds to state-sponsored development initiatives. In doing so, the government has provided millions (in USD) to various employment initiatives deemed to enhance local, provincial, and national economic growth. The tourism industry is on the rise in Ecuador and the state has allocated large percentages of its budget to upgrade tourist attraction in quality and quality. One reason why increased investments go to this large and rising industry is that it is regarded as an economic opportunity that follows the philosophy of Sumak Kawsay. This report provides a greater understanding of the significance tourism has in the country’s financial composition, examines how the Ecuadorian government allocates money into the industry, and investigates the origins of the currency used to fund such development initiates. This report shows that much of the budget used in the tourism industry originates from resource capital and although the state readily expresses the large significance tourism has on the country’s economic geographies, there is a gap in the literature detailing how exactly the government allocates funds into the industry and what impacts they have on variables contributing to the country’s inequalities. As such, this report concludes with a proposed plan to research these gaps in the literature so that its conclusions may be used for an improved allocation of funds and support.

Click on this link to view my StoryMap. It offers some details (along with other online extensions) aiming to provide a better understanding of the evolution of recent political movements in Ecuador as they pertain to the government’s economic and social agendas as well as its state-sponsored development initiatives, such as those in the tourism industry.