The work was carried out from March to December 2011, as a starting point for the Tourist Technical Advisory and Assistance project for the Febres-Cordero commune carried out by the peninsular university. For the diagnosis, among other parameters, those included in the "Manual for the local tourist diagnosis of Carla Ricaurte" were followed. A technical team composed of UPSE managers, teachers and tourism students was integrated. The purpose of the study is to determine the real situation of the community on which the guidelines for a planned tourist development are to be designed.
Introduction
For several years the Febres-Cordero commune of the Colonche parishIt has been the subject of several interventions by public institutions, as well as non-governmental organizations that, through a series of actions, have sought to raise awareness among the population about the sustainable management of their natural resources. Such is the case of Fundación NATURA, an organization that has contributed significantly to the conservation of the non-renewable resources of the community through the declaration of “protected forest” to an area of 5,000 hectares, as well as talks, seminars and training. to the community members during the last decade. At present, the state SOCIO-FOREST program aims to take the initiative through the implementation of its flagship project in order to contribute to the rational exploitation of natural resources.. All this work has aroused the concern of a certain sector of the population who have been interested in venturing into the practice of alternative economic activities (tourism), given the eminent prohibition of exploitation of natural forest resources.
Problematization
The Febres-Cordero commune is located 37.5 kilometers from the cantonal head, it belongs to the rural parish of Colonche, at the foot of the "Chongón-Colonche" mountain range, accessing by the "Ruta del Spóndylus" road until the well-known "crossroads de Palmar ”, 45 minutes from Santa Elena. The development of tourism in the rural area of the province has been conditioned by the impulse of the interested sectors, lacking planning and coordination, without technical vision, and a marked absence of planning in the exercise of tourist activities, this is evident in all the levels: from the communal council and parish government, to the provincial levels where for the Colonche area the Ministry of Tourism has considered the communities of Salanguillo and Loma Alta through studies for the adaptation of trails,although only the trail in Loma Alta is in operation. In the environmental part, the Ministry of the branch and non-governmental organizations such as the NATURA foundation, in the face of the imminent irrational process of depredation of forest resources by the inhabitants themselves, with the felling of timber trees, introduction of species as the case of toquilla straw, grazing beef cattle and hunting at-risk species such as deer, for several years they have initiated processes of awareness in the population, who faced with the need and ignorance of the sustainable use of resources offered by nature they have depredated more than 25% of their forests (according to data from the communal council) in the last 20 years,the Ministry of the industry and non-governmental organizations such as the NATURA foundation, in the face of the imminent irrational process of predation of forest resources by the inhabitants themselves, with the felling of timber trees, introduction of species such as the case of toquilla straw, the grazing of cattle and the hunting of species at risk such as deer, for several years started awareness processes in the population, who, due to the need and ignorance of the sustainable use of the resources offered by nature, have depreciated more than 25 % of its forests (according to data from the community council) during the last 20 years,the Ministry of the industry and non-governmental organizations such as the NATURA foundation, in the face of the imminent irrational process of predation of forest resources by the inhabitants themselves, with the felling of timber trees, introduction of species such as the case of toquilla straw, the grazing of cattle and the hunting of species at risk such as deer, for several years started awareness processes in the population, who, due to the need and ignorance of the sustainable use of the resources offered by nature, have depreciated more than 25 % of its forests (according to data from the community council) during the last 20 years,With the felling of timber trees, the introduction of species such as the case of toquilla straw, the grazing of cattle and the hunting of endangered species such as deer, for several years they have initiated processes of awareness in the population, who, faced with the need and the ignorance of the sustainable use of the resources that nature offers have depreciated more than 25% of its forests (according to data from the communal council) during the last 20 years,With the felling of timber trees, the introduction of species such as the case of toquilla straw, the grazing of cattle and the hunting of endangered species such as deer, for several years they have initiated processes of awareness in the population, who, faced with the need and the ignorance of the sustainable use of the resources that nature offers have depreciated more than 25% of its forests (according to data from the communal council) during the last 20 years,Those who, due to the need and ignorance of the sustainable use of the resources that nature offers, have depreciated more than 25% of their forests (according to data from the community council) during the last 20 years,Those who, due to the need and ignorance of the sustainable use of the resources that nature offers, have depreciated more than 25% of their forests (according to data from the community council) during the last 20 years,putting at risk the species of flora and fauna that are sensitive and mostly endemic to the Chongón-Colonche mountain range. Fundación NATURA assumes the commitment to provide advice for the inclusion of the community in productive activities that do not violate the natural heritage, execute environmental awareness programs, provide financial resources for the execution of said programs, and prepare a certain group of the community for the management, care and protection of their heritage as park rangers, until the intervention of the MAE (Ministry of Environment of Ecuador) who since 2010 has promoted the execution of the SOCIO-FOREST program. The tourist development of the commune is limited, with a value chain lacking strength, with few employment opportunities and reduced tourist services that limit the processes of productive development. These factors generate a macro effect: reduced opportunities for growth and development, with low levels of quality of life in the population, and low levels of social and productive profitability for the people. Under these perspectives, it is necessary to ask the following problematic question:To what extent do the absence of tourism development plans, as well as the reduced participation in technical advice from institutions linked to the sector, generate low levels of tourism development in the Febres-Cordero commune of the Colonche parish?
Justification
It is then necessary to undertake a planned investigative process that contributes substantially to the development of innovative initiatives in pursuit of the productive development of the locality. At the same time, it is imperative that said diagnostic process respond to agreed upon objectives, of a technical nature, aimed at obtaining quality results that guarantee the design of solidly constructed sustainable proposals, which in turn allow the inclusion and full participation of the actors. involved in the tourist development processes of the rural area of the Santa Elena canton.
Applied methodology
The diagnosis started in March and ended in December 2011. A qualitative-quantitative research model was applied, trying to more than quantify the results obtained during the process, analyze and interpret based on contextual reality. of the object of study. For this purpose, the following types of research have been combined with inductive, deductive, and analytical methods:
- Formulation of research objectives. Tutorials Project Workshop. 2008. Analysis of objectives: research objectives General objective and specific objectives. http: //www.scribd.comThe theoretical framework of an investigation.How to build a theoretical framework. 2004. http: //www.geiuma-oax.net Research methods. 2008.
