With the U.S. State Department’s latest update on its travel advisory for Ecuador, the country’s tourism sector finds itself with renewed challenges ahead. The American government recommends exercising caution when visiting Ecuador and restricted some areas as not advisable for travel or suggests reconsidering travel plans.
The areas considered dangerous are several districts of Guayaquil, Durán, Esmeraldas, El Oro, and Los Ríos. In addition, Guayaquil’s area north of Avenida Portete de Tarqui, El Oro, Los Ríos, Esmeraldas, Sucumbíos, Manabí, Santa Elena, and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas are considered with caution.
However, Ecuador’s tourism sector is concerned that a significant number of travelers who would have visited the country will redirect to other destinations due to the general warning about Ecuador issued by the U.S. State Department.
Tourism Sector Experts Sound the Alarm
Holbach Muñetón, president of the Federation of Provincial Chambers of Tourism says that the United States is the second-highest foreign market for Ecuador, registering between 400,000 and 500,000 visitors annually.
“This is not only the coastal cities,” said Muñetón. If a tourist wants to visit Guayaquil, Manta, or Santa Elena, a travel advisory could lead them to cancel their plans for the entire trip to Ecuador, worrying tourism executives.
In addition, the magnitude of the impact will depend on the reaction of the State. “I think we need to develop a foreign policy of communication, of informing, giving accurate numbers about this situation and distinguishing these areas, because it will have a negative impact on tourism,” added Muñetón. According to him, a ten percent decrease in the American market for the city of Manta and Santa Elena would represent forty thousand lost visitors annually, an estimate that, according to Muneton, is not an official figure but an industry calculation.
Manabi province has reason to be concerned as its territory is highlighted in the advisory with recommendations for reconsidering travel. Lucia Fernandez, vice president of the Manta Chamber of Commerce, adds that a general warning to the whole province discourages tourists, affecting not only the hotel sector but also the economy at large.
“When it is recommended to reconsider the visit to Manabi, the hotel sector is affected, as well as commerce, leisure activities, jobs,” said Fernandez. She also points out that the conditions vary throughout the province and that more specific information should be given so that tourists know that the danger is not generalized throughout Manabí but is concentrated in certain areas, “an entire province should not be treated as if all its cities, beaches, and tourist centers were the same.”
In addition, Lucía Fernández highlighted that Manta has hosted several high-profile events, including the Ironman 70.3 Ecuador, the marathon, the Giro de Rigo cycling race (with 3,000 participants), the Equinoctial Tour, and the Startup World Cup Ecuador, among others. These events have contributed to positioning Manta as a tourist destination attracting more than 400,000 visitors in the first sixteen days of August. This represents more than 22 million dollars in revenue for the city. “Hotels were occupied at a rate of 90 to 100% during that period,” Fernández said. “We do not ask to hide the violence; we ask for information that is more precise and thus combat the lack of information that affects the perception of Ecuador abroad,” she added.
Impact on Ecuador’s Tourism Sector
Diego Vivero, president of the Confederation of Restaurants of Ecuador, pointed out that the entire tourism sector will feel the repercussions of a possible decrease in the number of visitors from the United States. “What the U.S. advisory is trying to say is that there are areas of Ecuador with violence. That being said, we must recognize that not everywhere is the same; Quito or the other cities are not in that category,” said Vivero.
According to him, this differentiation is an opportunity for Ecuador to promote other regions not mentioned in the advisory. At the same time, he warned that the current climate of violence can generate adverse effects for the entire tourism sector if the foreign press covers it excessively.
Ecuador must take advantage of this situation to change the narrative that presents Ecuador as an unsafe destination that only has natural attractions, said Vivero. “There is no need to rewrite the history of Ecuador and deny reality because we are not in danger, but it is necessary to have a communication policy that combats this adverse perception without projecting an image of a country without any problems.”
Experts Demand a Unified Position to Combat the Travel Advisory
Lucia Fernandez agrees that the foreign perception of Ecuador needs to change. “It is essential that the entire sector, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Tourism, and the provincial governments, provide clear and precise information to the countries that issue these advisories so that they can make a differentiated analysis of the Ecuadorian provinces. We must work together to combat this situation,” said Fernandez.
Holbach Muñetón suggests hiring an international agency to advise the Ecuadorian government on a communication plan about the current situation in the country. “The truth is that the areas of violence are concentrated, and the government has a strategy to confront organized crime in Ecuador,” he said. It is essential to highlight the security measures taken by the State.
In addition, Muñetón suggests promoting other destinations that are not in the ‘red zone’ of the advisory. At the same time, Diego Vivero says that Ecuador must value the areas not mentioned in the advisory to attract more tourists.
Since the United States is one of the most critical markets for Ecuador’s tourism, experts believe that the country’s ability to combat the undesirable effects of the travel advisory will be decisive in the short term.
