The agreement is framed within the need to reactivate a sector that, after the pandemic, has not yet reached previous growth levels. Currently, Pichincha has 41 community tourism associations in 28 parishes, which represent an important socioeconomic engine, but face limitations in infrastructure, quality of service, administrative management and marketing strategies.

COMMUNITY TOURISM ENTREPRENEURSHIP CONTEST

With these actions, the Prefecture of Pichincha and Rimisp seek to consolidate community-based tourism as a key strategy for income generation, organizational strengthening and the preservation of the province’s cultural and environmental wealth.

The main focus of the agreement was the organization of the Community Tourism Entrepreneurship Contest, in which 41 organizations registered in the GADPP database participated. After a rigorous selection process carried out by Rimisp, ten initiatives won and received seed capital of US$2,500 in infrastructure, machinery, equipment, signage, services and others, with a commitment to provide a counterpart in cash or in kind by the organizations.

The requested acquisitions were managed by Rimisp in compliance with its internal regulations, and officially delivered to the associations by means of agreements and reception certificates.

COMPLEMENTARY ACTIONS

In addition to the contest, the agreement included:

• Provincial Technical Committee for Community Tourism: a public-private coordination space to promote efforts in the development of the sector.
• Community Tourism Map of Pichincha: which compiles the services and attractions of the 40 enterprises, available on the institutional page of the Provincial Council.
• Virtual training in business administration, associative schemes and access to credit, with the participation of Banco CODESARROLLO and the Jardín Azuayo savings and credit cooperative.
• Observation tour to Yunguilla, a provincial benchmark in community-based tourism.