“OBSERVATORIO DE TURISMO”. UN ESPACIO DE ANÁLISIS Y COMUNICACIÓN COMO CONTRIBUCIÓN PARA EL DESARROLLO DEL TURISMO EN EL ECUADOR

Abstract

In spite of multiple international crises, during the ¿rst nine months of 2013, the tourism industry grew by 5 percent worldwide and overcoming the expectative for the sector (OMT, 2013). The Ministry of Tourism of Ecuador reported that tourism represented 5 percent of the Ecuadorian GDP in 2012 and announced that the government had decided to promote the development of the tourism sector in the country. This relevant announcement does not have precedent and needs to be taken into account by academia. Knowledge is a key factor to promote development and sustainability of any economic and social sector. In this context, this article aims to propose the creation of an Observatory in tourism in order to monitor development in the country. Observatories are key motors for spreading information generated by academia and other actors in tourism. This is a key aspect considering that Ecuador lacks basic and specialized information that could contribute to the improvement of education, productivity and competitiveness of the Ecuadorian tourism sector. The establishment of a tourism observatory for conducting research and providing information regarding tourism in Ecuador, requires clear and solid conceptual and methodological basis. In this context, the paper aims to provide some considerations regarding the creation of an observatory, its structure and functions based on the country’s academic, social and economic context.