Business network as an alternative for the strengthening of community tourism in the Pijal community, canton Otavalo, Imbabura – Ecuador

Abstract

The research analyzes the socioeconomic impact generated by the development of tourism
to the families of the community project, Sumak Pacha, Pijal community, Otavalo canton,
Imbabura - Ecuador, with the manifest intention of creating a business network as an
alternative for strengthening tourism community It is aligned with the National Plan for Good
Living, the zonal sectorial public policies and the PDYOT of the Otavalo canton, since as a
tourism initiative it contributes to the change of the productive matrix and to the promotion
of the popular and solidary economy. Poses as objectives: to analyze the current
socioeconomic conditions of the families involved in the tourism activity; diagnose the
current situation of the offer of community tourism in the study area; and determine the
typology of the visitor of the Otavalo canton. The methodology of the research has been based on the most general theoretical and practical methods of scientific research: historicallogical,
analytic-synthetic, inductive- deductive, and interview, survey and signing for the
collection of field information. The main results obtained show that the families that
participate in the tourism activity are far from the rest, in social aspects such as the decrease
in alcoholism of the heads of households, better hygiene practices and greater participation of women in the work activity. However, as an economic alternative, community tourism still does not generate the expected profitability. The influx of visitors continues to be seasonal and the current offer does not meet the market expectation, which ranges between 20 and 35 years, with a predisposition to perform recreational activities in natural sites and knowledge of cultural heritage, which remains in the canton for an average period of no more than 5 hours, relegating Otavalo as a transit destination.