Exploración de la contribución de las estadísticas al desarrollo del turismo en la ciudad de Cuenca

Abstract

At present, statistics is a fundamental tool for making decisions in the field of tourism development. In fact, this study explores the contribution of statistics to tourism development in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador. In order to achieve this, the perceptions of local tourism actors around tourism statistics were explored, then the characteristics of tourism statistics carried out in Cuenca were compared and finally the relevance of tourism statistical information and its contribution to the development of the tourism sector was identified. The approach was qualitative and exploratory in scope through semi-structured interviews with key actors in the tourism sector of the city of Cuenca, Ecuador. The study showed that the relational dynamics around tourism statistics and their process takes place in a distrust environment among actors that affects local statistical construction, and is not limited to supposed cases of tax evasion. It is concluded that decisions related to local development through tourism are spontaneous, although they are also partially based on statistical data from the private sector. Keywords: Tourism statistics, tourism development, tourism sector, stakeholder perceptions, Cuenca – Ecuador