Every corner of Ecuador is full of culture and we must consider it as a tourist destination for this reason we must provide a good service and organize it with an inventory of hierarchical tourist attractions with this we allow those who visit us to take advantage of and define the offer of the cultural product of the beautiful Canton of freedom.
La Libertad has tangible and intangible elements that are part of the Cultural Heritage of the canton which are being wasted and being forgotten due to the lack of their knowledge among current generations.
The Cultural Tourism can be a commodity at a particular destination or a value - added element essential to attract other product-market or to raise a differentiation.
Introduction
Tourism is an activity that is capable of mobilizing millions of people from their native or habitual place, with the aim of having new experiences or satisfying the bodily needs of rest, relaxation, cultural, nature, among others. The raw material, that is to say the tourist attractions, demonstrate the importance of two basic components: natural resources and Cultural resources.
The Santa Elena Peninsula has been developing in the last 10 years in a vertiginous way within the tourist activity, this due to the rise of the well-known tourist corridor “Ruta del Spondylus”, which is currently positioned at the national level and international.
The Canton La Libertad, which is included in the aforementioned corridor, has a prevailing cultural wealth in the sector that is part of a tourist potential, these resources are not being used at present causing the loss of them and that could well be used so that they serve for a sustainable development in the population.
Development
Justification
Considering the heading of Article 4 “of, The Principles of the World Code of Ethics for Tourism”. Prepared by the World Tourism Organization; "Tourism, factor for the use and enrichment of the cultural heritage of humanity", we can highlight that:
- Policies and tourism activities will be carried out with respect to artistic, archaeological and cultural heritage, which must be protected and transmitted to future generations.
- Tourism activity will be organized in a way that allows the survival and flourishing of traditional cultural and artisanal production, as well as folklore, and does not lead to its normalization and impoverishment.
In this sense, the Tourist Destinations worldwide compete to the maximum in the market to offer and promote a true and unique cultural strategy.
La Libertad has tangible and intangible elements that are part of the Cultural Heritage of the canton, which are being wasted and being forgotten due to the lack of their knowledge among current generations.
Cultural Tourism can be a basic product in a specific destination or an element of added value, essential to capture another type of product-market or to propose a differentiation. For this reason, the Proposal of a Cultural Tourism Product that serves the Canton La Libertad and that allows the development of sustainable Tourism, is possible in conjunction with the participation of its inhabitants and organizations.
3.- Statement of the problem (theoretical design).
3.1 Problem
The little knowledge and the lack of an inventory of hierarchical cultural tourist attractions do not allow defining and taking advantage of the Offer of a Cultural Product in the canton of La Libertad.
3.2. Overall objective
Design a proposal for the development of a Cultural Tourism product in the canton of La Libertad based on a situational diagnosis of the existing cultural Resources in order to improve and increase its tourist offer and image.
3.2.1 specific or particular objective
• Gather information on Cultural Resources by applying data sheets in order to create a database, which allows developing an Inventory of Cultural Resources and being able to recognize it as such.
• Evaluate the tourist potential of the existing Resources according to the inventory carried out to define its main elements.
• Prepare a Proposal for the Use of Cultural resources through the development of actions:
a) Identification of the main Thematic Areas based on the Law of Cultural Heritage of Ecuador.
b) A strategy that allows identifying the Cultural Tourist Product that La Libertad possesses (in terms of the Cultural resources and attractions it possesses).
3.3.- Hypothesis
The ignorance and under-utilization of the Cultural Resources of the Libértense Community by the tourist sector, added to a weak promotion, has caused the low tourist offer for the consolidation of a Cultural Tourist Product.
Dependent variable
The low Tourist Offer for the consolidation of a Cultural Tourist Product.
Independent variable
Lack of knowledge and under-utilization of the Cultural resources of the Libértense Community by the tourism sector added to a weak promotion.
Conceptualization of the Variables:
As waste and under-use of the Cultural Resources of La Libertad, the situation will be understood as disinformation and lack of use in the tourist field of the Historical, archaeological, Folkloric and Identitary Heritage resources evidenced by the little knowledge about them, at the tourist level of the visitors, while (Independent Variable) that the weak promotion refers to the low communication process of diffusion and popularization of the resources: aspects that have caused the low tourist offer to consolidate a cultural tourist product, which indicates that it is not has propagated an alternative that allows the strengthening of the Cultural Identity of the Canton.
Dependent variable indicators
1. Number of informative records of the existing Cultural resources.
2. Percentage of resources that are known.
3. Amount of human resources trained in the issue raised.
4. Percentage of community participation in cultural events.
5. Amount of resources invested for the development of cultural products.
Independent variable indicators
1. Little knowledge about the existing Cultural Resources by Tourist Entrepreneurs.
2. Little knowledge of the visitors about the existing Cultural Resources.
3. Lack of use of Cultural Resources for tourism development.
4. Percentage of enhanced cultural resources.
5. Lack of a List of Cultural Resources of the Canton duly.
4.- Methodological approach (methodological design).
4.1 Methodology
The methodology to carry out the following thesis work will be fundamentally the Inductive method, basically in the hierarchization of the cultural potential to focus on the perspective of a cultural tourism product (abstraction); and the deductive through the application and analysis of the guides corresponding to the national scope for the definition of tourist product.
I will start from the observation that will serve for the compilation and presentation of the set of existing files, taking as a reference the "Guide Methodology for Inventory of Tourist Attractions" of the Ministry of Tourism of Ecuador and proceed with the survey of the inventory of existing cultural resources. This Inventory will allow the application of a Proposal for the use of the identified Resources.
Interview techniques will be applied to the main sources involved in the issue raised (Municipality, Chambers of Tourism.
I will apply the support instruments such as: video recorders, camera recorder, survey and interview.
4.2 Conditions
The Canton La Libertad: Inhabitants and actors of Tourism development, Cultural Resources and Tourism Demand.
Purpose: To make good use of the cultural resources of the La Libertad canton.
conclusion
The Canton La Libertad is included in an important corridor "Ruta del Spondylus" and has a prevailing cultural wealth in the sector that are part of a tourist potential, these resources must be used today and could well be used in a way that they serve for a sustainable development in the population.
Bibliography
1. Castane and Joseph Fonnt: Case analysis, publisher Ariel Practium
Year 2001 Spain.
2. Dahada Jorge: Tourist Advertising, Jorge Editorial Trillas
Year 1999 Mexico
3. Joseph Ballart H.: Cultural Heritage Management, editorial Ariel patrimonio
Year 2001 Spain Barcelona
4. Jordi Juan, Tresserras: Cultural Heritage Management, editorial Ariel patrimonio
Year 2001 Spain Barcelona
5. Llouis Bonet, Xavier: Management of Cultural Projects
6. Rogelio Rocha C.: Research Methodology applied to Tourism
7. World Organization: Introduction to Tourism Madrid. Printed Edita. Egraf. Madrid
8. Roberto C Boullon: Planning of the Tourist Study, editorial trillas, Third edition April 1999.
