Study of the cultural and natural heritage of Ecuador from a tourism approach

Abstract

Ecuador’s cultural tourism heritage is varied, which makes it an attractive destination for people from all over the world. This can be classified into different categories: historical, archaeological, religious, gastronomic and natural. The country’s historical and archaeological heritage is important because it has a large number of elements of this type. Among the most notable are the city of Quito, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO; the Ingapirca Archaeological Complex; and, the city of Cuenca. Religious heritage is also significant, as it is deeply valued; It has numerous temples and other facilities of tourist value such as the Basilica of the National Vow and the Monastery of San Francisco, in Quito and the Cathedral of Cuenca in Azuay. In addition, the country has a variety of natural landscapes. The objective of this work is to contribute to the study of the cultural and natural tourist heritage of Ecuador, and to offer the reader a helpful document to better understand the richness it has. It was developed from a review of 43 works, from which information was obtained from 22, all hosted in various databases, considering those of recent publication as priority; Likewise, documents from websites of institutions related to the topic were consulted, including the Ministry of Tourism and the National Institute of Cultural Heritage. The results of the review show extensive information related to national heritage assets. It is concluded that these are of capital importance for the use of tourism in its various modalities.