Increasing economic opportunities for communities
living in and around protected areas...  

The ultimate goal of the Ecuador Sustainable Tourism Alliance (ESTA) is to better equip and strengthen the Ecuadorian protected areas system, local tourism enterprises, and relevant public sector institutions so that local communities may achieve sustainable economic growth. This will be best achieved through continued public-private collaboration and outreach to new development partners at the national, regional, and global levels that is subsequently led by stronger, more capable Ecuadorian tourism institutions.  

The ESTA will focus on the following protected areas of Ecuador:
•    Corredor Ecoturístico Amazónico Yasuni Cuyabeno
•    Reserva Ecológica Cotacachi Cayapas - Parte Alta
•    Reserva Ecológica Manglares Churute
•    Parque Nacional Cotopaxi
•    Parque Nacional Machalilla
•    Reserva Faunística Chimborazo
•    Reserva Ecológica Cayambe Coca (Papallacta-San Rafael-Chaco-Oyacachi Circuit)

Within these areas, USAID will support stakeholder actions to promote tourism development and expansion in the following five broad areas:

1) Improving the national tourism and protected area policy environments
To position Ecuador and its protected areas as major sustainable travel destinations by creating a transparent system for investors and visitors

2) Developing demand-driven products and services and promote investments
To develop and position a protected area’s brand with an array of high quality tourism products and services

3) Building capable and competent institutions, services, and personnel
To enhance the skills of the public sector, private sector, and local communities at the protected areas system and site levels

4) Stimulating innovation and replication of tourism products and services
To identify opportunities for innovation and rapid sharing of new technologies and services through emerging networks

5) Monitoring and evaluating program performance
To provide timely data to facilitate corrective action, validate assumptions, and verify program impact

Visit the Ecuadorian Sustainable Tourism Alliance Web site: here >