Inventario de los destinos ecoturísticos para promover la oferta turística en áreas protegidas del Ecuador

Abstract

Ecotourism in protected areas (PA) is considered a support tool to promote the protection of natural resources. It is an alternative tourism that allows obtaining benefits that favor the natural environment. In spite of this, at the national level, the offer of this type of places is rare compared to other countries such as Costa Rica, as it is the pioneer in the development of ecotourism, which has been welcomed throughout history. The objective of the present investigation was to identify the protected areas that have ecotourism resources through an inventory that allows to promote the tourist offer, as well as the current situation was analyzed, allowing us to understand the way ecotourism contributed to these areas. For this, a qualitative-deductive approach was carried out using qualified documentary information. Within the results was established as a proposal the elaboration of a registry that managed to detail the protected areas that are considered as ecotourism destinations as well as the relevant activities that are carried out in them. The purpose with which the present study was carried out was to demonstrate that in the protected areas a type of tourism different from the conventional one can be practiced so that tourists can maintain contact with nature and at the same time this generates a minimum impact To the environment.