Rural tourism and its sociocultural impact, by Casacay Parish residents, el 0ro Province, Ecuador

摘要

The lack of tourism services in some areas of thecountry could be explained by the scant attention paid by thecompetent bodies that must propose and create promotionand entrepreneurship programs in the rural communities toimprove tourism services. The central problem of the limitedtourism development in Casacay, El Oro, Ecuador, canbe addressed with adequate training, taking advantage ofthe offer presented in this tourist resort and stimulating theentrepreneurial tourism vision in this area. In this study, fieldwork was undertaken relating to the type of tourism and theperspective that the local residents have of the socioculturalimpact this can entail. According to the initial diagnosis,the tourists who arrive in the area are seeking sport activities,handicrafts and memories they can gain from their visit, consideringthe Casacay river to be the major attraction in thearea. The residents are at ease with tourism and are very usedto it. Nevertheless, the tourism resource has not been sufficientlyexploited to drive sustainable local development thatcan improve the sector and the quality of life of the residentsof Casacay.