Post-pandemic socio-economic impact in the ecuadorian tourism sector: case canton Playas

Abstract

Faced with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the world economy is experiencing an unprecedented economic and social crisis. Many key sectors in Latin America and the Caribbean were paralyzed, such as the tourism sector. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) considers that the attendance of international tourists worldwide decreased between 58% and 78% in 2020 (ECLAC, 2020), which suggests that the reactivation of the sector will be progressive in 2021. One of the countries that suffered from the uncontrolled and progressive increase in SARS-CoV-2 infections was Ecuador, registering more than 2,758 infections and 98 confirmed deaths in the first months of the pandemic, ranking second in deaths after Brazil (Millan, 2020). The objective of the research is to analyze the social and economic impact that the Playas canton has faced, one of the main tourist places in the province of Guayas-Ecuador, for which the following method was applied: i) Analysis of socio-economic indicators  applied to the national and international tourism sector, ii) Analysis of the Case Study and application of surveys to tourist centers of the canton Playas in two moments, and, iv) Inferences about affected indicators. The results obtained lead us to reflect on whether the bad situation that the Ecuadorian tourism sector is going through is the result of the pandemic or public policy.