Nature Tourism and Enterprise Development in Ecuador

Abstract

Nature-based observation and adventure figure prominently in Ecuador’s tourism attractions. From the standpoints of geography and biology, Ecuador is a small but highly diverse nation divided into four distinct zones: the Sierra Highlands, the Amazon Basin, the Pacific Coast Lowlands, and the Galapagos Islands. Across these four zones is found a wide variety of natural ecosystems for both casual and dedicated naturalists. Nature tourism is oriented primarily to visiting a few private holdings plus the publicly-owned national parks and related reserves. However, the major tour operators and airlines have not yet adopted a formal approach to promoting tourism which is specifically nature-oriented. The number of international visitors engaging in na-ture-oriented activities on the mainland falls far short of visitation to the Galapagos Islands. Responsible opinion concurs that development of tourism in the Galapagos must be carefully controlled, but disagreements concern practical interpretation of that idea...