Design of Nature Tourism Route in Chimborazo Wildlife Reserve, Ecuador

Abstract

The design of new routes is a specific strategy to improve tourism management and to increase the attractiveness of landscape features, promoting activities as a part of sustainable development. This study proposes the design of alternative multi-parameter tourist routes in the Chimborazo Wildlife Reserve based on spatial network analysis implemented in ArcGIS 10.5® software. Tourist interest points were identified and mapped using spatial analysis software, then two routes for bicycles and hiking were defined as being the most efficient, based on the most frequented tourist attractions. The main contribution of this study is the identification of optimal routes for vehicular, bicycling, and hiking traffic through tourist attractions, considering variables such as the time, distance, average circulation speed, road state, and tourist facilities. As a result, two routes were identified. Route one includes 17 tourist attractions, five lodging establishments, four food centers, and one health center. On the other hand, route two includes 11 tourist attractions, two lodging and food establishments, and one health center. The final contribution of this research is to maximize tour satisfaction by presenting new routes of visiting tourist attractions due to the growing demand in the Chimborazo Reserve.

A Nature Tourism Route through GIS to Improve the Visibility of the Natural Resources of the Altar Volcano, Sangay National Park, Ecuador

“…Through this great biodiversity and landscapes, the lack of tourist routes would be a big problem to consolidate a unique experience in this area. So, the route mapping is a useful but little-used technique in visitor research [36]. In relation to the above-mentioned, this study showed new route alternatives with a thorough network analysis in GIS for tourists and locals visiting the AV.…”

“…Considering this new trend of mountain nature tourism and an increasing influx of tourists, current problems have been evidenced such as the current time required to cover the route from the start to the top of the mountain, its difficulty, restriction of access to the mountain to only highly trained hikers and climbers, and last but not least, the absence of many natural features in the existing route, which could be a factor that decreases the interest of nature-based tourists [36]. Thus, the objective of this study focused on designing a new nature tourism route in the Altar Volcano in the SNP that would serve as a sustainable management tool for managers and authorities in the province of Chimborazo, Ecuador.…”

Typologies of Tourism Visits to Mountain Destinations. A Case Study: Mount Lawu Area, Karanganyar Regency, Indonesia

“…The communities directly initiate and participate in the efforts to keep the sustainability of the local economy. However, the development and disaster mitigation of tourism areas involving most rural communities possibly integrate tourism activities into social, productivity, and economic dynamics as an alternative to fight poverty and to merge communities of local and mestizo (Mosquera et al, 2019;Castillo et al, 2021;Andries et al, 2021;Xiang et al, 2020). This allows presenting a pleasant and profitable experience as well as a reciprocal relationship between local community and tourists (visitors) (Xiang et al, 2020;Fun et al, 2014;Zielinski et al, 2020).…”

“…However, in Latin America and the Caribbean, many rural communities have integrated tourism activities into social, productivity, and economic dynamics as an alternative to fight poverty and merge populations of indigenous and mestizo communities (Mosquera et al, 2019;Castillo et al, 2021;Andries et al, 2021;Xiang et al, 2020). This type of tourism has been implemented in rural areas in which local communities, organized collectively, play a participatory role in the development, management, and monitoring, as well as preservation of natural environments, socio -culture (Caputo et al, 2005), and traditional values (Fagundes et al, 2021).…”

Charapa Turtles (Podocnemis unifilis), an Opportunity to Improve Community Tourism and Contribute to Their Conservation in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador

“…In Latin America and the Caribbean, a significant number of rural communities have integrated tourism activities into their social, productive and economic dynamics as an alternative to fight poverty, incorporating the inhabitants, who are sometimes indigenous and mestizo groups, generating a new form of tourism that has been called Rural Community Tourism [19][20][21][22]. This type of tourism has been implemented in rural areas where the local inhabitants, organized collectively, play a participatory role in its progress, management and monitoring, ensuring respect for the natural environment, socio-cultural [23] and ancestral values of their community [24], allowing a pleasant, favorable and reciprocal enjoyment of experiences between local people and tourists (visitors).…”