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Within the Institution
Technical Departments
Promotion
The National Marketing Department is in charge of establishing the
central idea around which raising awareness of Ecuador at the national
and international level will be based. It is in charge of producing
audiovisual and printed material to hand out with suitable planning,
at national and international fairs. It is also the body which coordinates
with the private sector to work together to promote the country.
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Tourist Resources
The mission of the Tourist Resources Department is to promote competitiveness
in the tourism sector by means of participative and joint processes
with the aim of positioning tourism as a strategic area of economic,
social, and environmental development in Ecuador. The Ministry’s
mission is to be the recognized leader in sustainable tourist development
in South America and consolidating the achievements of the tourist
activity in Ecuador by means of an effective, efficient, decentralized
model of public administration. Among its objectives are the following:
- Improve the quality of Ecuador’s tourist products and services.
With this aim an inter-institutional group has been set up to
manage an external evaluation to improve quality.
- Promote a culture of tourism.
- Help with the modernization and decentralization of tourist
activity within city councils.
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Planning (Planning and External
Cooperation)
The Department of Planning and External Cooperation is in charge
of looking after the competitive development of the tourist activity
in the country. The following are some if its objectives:
- Promote tourist development by means of participative cooperation
between the public and private sectors,. guaranteeing the rational
use of tourist resources and the conservation of natural and cultural
resources.
- Achieve sustainability in tourist activity.
- Consolidate the Ecuadorian tourist identity and image both nationally
and internationally.
- Encourage touristism research that will allow the consolidation,
incorporation, and/or development of current and potential tourist
areas.
- Develop rules and regulations to facilitate the development
of tourism.
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Projects
- An inventory of tourist attractions
- Sustainable tourism
- Tourist statistics
- Implementation of the competitiveness plan
- National training
- Support for micro-entrepreneurs in the tourist sector
- Assistance for city and county councils in tourist events
- Tourist signposting
- Dissemination and communication
- Marketing for internal and receptive tourism
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Areas of Development
- Tourist image
- Legal and regulatory framework
- Support for investment and reduction of taxes for the sector
and the tourist
- Public service infrastructure
- Access and connections
- Information systems and dissemination of information to users
- Technological, environmental, and business development
- Education and training
- Marketing and commercialization
- Improvement of the quality of tourist and related services
- Productivity and efficiency
- Focus on overseas markets
- Improvement in added value
- Improve competition and business environment
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Management Areas
- National Department of Tourist Resources: contributes to the
generation and administration in the area of tourism, to plan,
promote, and carry out projects concerning the impact on the country’s
development as well as to train the sector’s personnel.
- National Department of Tourism Planning and Overseas Cooperation:
contributes to the design and implementation of plans, programs,
and projects to make tourist development viable based on global
and regional strategies. These are long-, medium-, and short-term
plans and programs that take into account the mission, vision,
aims, and policies of the national government and those of the
Ministry of Tourism.
- National Department of Marketing: contributes to the development
of the tourist sector, identifying and analyzing potential markets,
evaluating, selecting, and prioritizing them according to the
opportunity they present in positioning the country as a tourist
destination.
- Department of Institutional Development: provides and maintains
suitable human resources committed to the values of the institution
and provides the material resources, general services, and security
needed to fulfill the mission, vision, and aims of the organization.
It also ensures continuous modernization and organizational development
of the Ministry and the sector, in general.
- Finance Department: facilitates the productive and economic
management of the Ministry of Tourism by means of providing financing
which allows the mission, vision, and aims of the organization
to be implemented and achieved. This department has an integrated
and effective system of information management.
- IT Department: contributes to the administration of the organization
by providing and maintaining modern systems of information management
to achieve maximum productivity in the handling, storing, and
administration of information.
- Regional Finance and Administration Department: participates
in the administration of the Regional Undersecretaryship of Tourism,
acting as a consultant in matters of administration, finances,
or information technology in order to fulfill the objectives of
the organization, assuring a continuous process of improvement.
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Regional Organizations
Regional organizations contribute to the development of the tourist
sector in the region, by means of participative and joint processes,
promoting the tourism industry as a strategic element of sustainable
development in accordance with the policies defined by the Ministry
of Tourism. Some of the organizations of the Ministry are:
- Northern Highlands Regional Department – headquartered
in the city of Ibarra, this departments jurisdiction includes
the provinces of Imbabura, Carchi, and northern Esmeraldas (San
Lorenzo).
- Central Highlands Regional Department - headquartered in the
city of Riobamba, this department’s jurisdiction includes
the provinces of Chimborazo, Bolívar, Tungurahua, and Cotopaxi.
- Southern Border Regional Department - headquartered in the city
of Loja, this department’s jurisdiction includes the provinces
of Loja, El Oro, and Zamora Chinchipe.
- Austro Regional Department - headquartered in the city of Cuenca,
this department’s jurisdiction includes the provinces of
Azuay and Cañar.
- Amazon Regional Department - headquartered in the city of Puyo,
this department’s jurisdiction includes the provinces of
Sucumbíos, Orellana, Napo, Pastaza, and Morona-Santiago.
- Galapagos Regional Department - headquartered in the city of
Puerto Ayora, this department’s jurisdiction is the province
of Galápagos.
- Coast Regional Department - headquartered in the city of Bahía
de Caráquez, this department’s jurisdiction includes
the provinces of Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos, and Esmeraldas
(except San Lorenzo).
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Organizational Relationships
Agreements and Alliances
Overseas Cooperation
Decentralization
The Ministry of Tourism has transferred all the competences in tourist
matters to 60 municipal offices around the country in order to sustain
the decentralization process made by the Government.
Many issues were transferred to each canton: local promotion, care
of the cultural and tourist patrimony, control of tourist establishments,
maintenance and updating of inventories and directories and the
ability to create laws to reinforce the quality of tourism in each
region, among others.
Since then, the Ministry has established national policies and general
regulations, created norms and rules that should be followed by
all the service contractors, promoted the country at an international
level, and made the area planning at a national level. The Ministry
of Tourism also helps developing tourist sustainable tourist projects,
especially with indigenous groups.
On two occasions, Gustavo Noboa, President of the Republic, solemnized
the ceremonies of the transfer of tourist competences. In July,
2001 with the Cuenca, Cañar, Chordeleg, Gualaceo, Tulcán,
Latacunga, Pujilí, Riobamba, Huaquillas, Zaruma, Esmeraldas,
Atacames, Salinas, Santa Elena, Ibarra, Cotacachi, Otavalo, Loja,
Manta ( municipio piloto) Sucre, Tena, Puyo, Quito, Ambato Baños,
Zamora, Guaranda, Alausí, Colta, Guamote, Atuntaqui, Puerto
López, San Vicente, Gualaquiza and Sucúa Municipal
offices.
In September 2002, the process was fortified with the transference
of control in another 24 offices: Portoviejo, Babahoyo, Quevedo,
Samborondón, Durán, General Villamil, La Libertad,
San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, Isabela, Santo Domingo de los
Colorados, Cayambe, Rumiñahui, Guano, Azogues, Saraguro,
Machala, Santa Rosa, Pasaje, Orellana, Lago Agrio, Morona, Mera
and Espejo.
The decentralization process promoted by the Ministry, answers the
crescent demands of the local governments, consolidating the competitiveness
from the base. Each canton must create a Tourist Management Unity
which will be in charge to coordinate the process with the communities
and the private sector.
The Decentralization Model applied in Ecuador gives dynamism to
the tourism with the State participation, the local Governments,
the private sector and the local communities.
Decentralization is sustained in three pillars:
1) Reinforcement of the National Authority of the Ministry of Tourism
as a facilitator for the sector's development.
2) Institutional and technical reinforcement of the Municipal Offices,
so they assume the leadership of local tourism.
3) The development of technical, legal and institutional processes
for making an efficient and effective decentralization.
The following is a list of decentralized cantons. Click on those
that have links for more information about the cantons and their
tourist attractions and destinations:
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Competitiveness
The Ecuador Tourism Competitiveness Agreement is an instrument designed
to promote coordination between the private and public sectors.
Its aim is to adopt strategies which allow the tourist sector to
solve problems specific to the chain of production in the sector.
This will be done by means of appropriate channeling and rationalization
of efforts between private entrepreneurs, the public sector, and
the communities. The purpose of the agreement is to generate a competitive
advantage and, as a consequence, to create added value to the nation’s
tourism sector, in order to improve Ecuador’s position in the
international market. The ultimate aim is to improve the quality
of Ecuadorian tourism products and services and lower the prices
of the products and services while constantly developing the sector
along the lines of sustainability.
The Plan is being carried out in the following phases:
- Global diagnostic of competitiveness of the tourism sector
- Prioritizing the issues which need to be resolved first
- Define the sector’s global strategies
- Define a detailed long-term plan of action
- Execute the plan
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Projects
- Tourist image
- Facilitation and safety
- Legal and regulatory framework
- Support for investment and reduction of taxes paid by the sector
and the tourist
- Public service infrastructure
- Access and connections
- Information systems and dissemination to users
- Technological, environmental, and business development
- Education and training
- Marketing and commercialization
- Improvement of the quality of tourist and related services
- Productivity and efficiency
- Focus on overseas markets
- Improvement in added value
- Improve competitiveness and the local business conditions
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Active Participation
National Fairs
International Fairs
With the purpose of positioning Ecuador as an unforgettable and
unique travel destination in eyes of the world, the Ministry of
Tourism and representatives from the Ecuador’s tourism industry
attended six international tourism fairs (Fitur 2001, Madrid - Spain;
BIT, Milan - Italy; ITB, Berlin - Germany; ANATO, Bogotá
- Colombia; and the Salón de París) in the first half
of the year. Many contacts were made and a group of journalists
from important media sources expressed interested in writing articles
and making documentaries to promote Ecuador in their home countries.
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