Larissa Marangoni “Guayaquil has potential for nature tourism”

The morning breeze enters through the open windows of his office. “I love this. I need sound, natural light, movement…”, says Larissa Marangoni about her workspace.

The conversation also has background sounds, from time to time the voice of street vendors or passers-by who walk around the Municipality of Guayaquil is heard . The dialogue is accompanied by all those sounds.

She has been working from that first floor for a month, after assuming the position of president of the Municipal Public Tourism Company . Her energy changes as she counts the new challenges. It is a role that she says about her, it has made her proud to be from Guayaquil grow and motivates her to promote the city as a tourist destination.

While the interview with SEMANA flows , she talks to us about the projects to reactivate the different spaces, where a priori it is noticeable how she is putting all her baggage and essence into each challenge.

“There are places in urban and rural areas where you can do activities such as bird watching, trekking, hiking, cycling and discover nature without going so far away”

• For a greener tourism

The movement in his office does not stop. From time to time Larissa is heard talking to her staff about what they have on their agenda. She has several projects in her sights to boost tourism but when she is asked about the most innovative, it is closely related to her taste for nature.

“I bet on nature tourism. Guayaquil is a city that needs a change in tourism and, although I highlight the activities that can be carried out within the city, it is important that the natural spaces that already exist are also used and that they are promoted to create circuits in which tourists have contact with flora and fauna.

Who better than her to know the wonder that cannot be seen with the naked eye. “ Discovering places attracts my attention ,” he says, and by way of confession he adds, “since I began my work at the EP of Tourism, I have had the opportunity to see new places, such as Cerro Paraíso and Bosque Samanes… We also went to El Morro and we climbed El Muerto hill and it was a quite pleasant experience, which I think we should all discover”, he recounts.

That is why he considers that without the hills, estuary and river, Guayaquil could not be fully promoted. “Our city has the necessary potential to be exploited in this area”, he says and exemplifies it. “There are places in urban and rural areas where you can do activities such as bird watching, trekking, hiking, cycling and discover nature without going to such remote places.”

With a traveling and curious soul, she mentions that from other cities she has visited, she values ​​the progress that can be taken as a reference for the Pearl of the Pacific . “From Amsterdam, I rescue the river taxi that they have and that I think we could have it here and connect the estuary with the river. The river taxi is my dream”.

“With my experience I can say that everything we have in Ecuador and, especially in Guayaquil, is wonderful and better than in many other countries.” Juan Faustos

• Reactivating the center

The downtown blocks are now part of his walk, and he has also put his interest in these to reactivate the sector, so that children, young people and adults have them as an option either for a walk or ‘after office ‘ .

Hence, currently, activities are being carried out in public spaces, such as Malecón 2000 and Panama Street (so that it remains active after 5:00 p.m.).

He refers that the objective of this plan is to know in which places there is a greater reception by local and foreign tourists and based on that, constantly carry out cultural, art, sports and more activities.

“We want an illuminated city full of tourist corridors. We are working on rescuing sites that unfortunately have been taken over by insecurity”, she says. And in the face of this panorama, he does not lose hope. “We must recover the national and international credibility of our city. What I’m looking for is for Guayaquil to be a meeting place, because as a destination it has a lot to offer”.

However, this is not achieved alone, and it emphasizes that citizens must be part of the growth and development of the city. And that is achieved with education.

• Good hostess

His taste for making plans in tourist mode comes from a very young age. He grabbed his bag, where he kept a hat, sunscreen, glasses and light clothing, and went exploring.

“Together with my brother I learned to love the mountains and hills. He taught me the importance of protecting these spaces and I think he had quite a significant impact on me”, he recalls.

With the passage of time, he has been traveling locally to play sports and the feeling says that he is unmatched. “I climbed to the summit of the Cayambe volcano and it was an extreme experience that cannot be compared to anything else, because I had to give my maximum effort and capacity. With my experience I can say that everything we have in Ecuador and, especially in Guayaquil, is wonderful and better than in many other countries”.

There is no doubt that this has also made her a good hostess and for those who want to make plans in the city, she suggests a list of activities to do. And the center of the city is where it expands the most. “There we find history, culture, gastronomic offer and activities such as avitourism (bird watching), above all, in the Seminario park, Malecón 2000, Malecón del Salado and in the Plaza de la Administración. Another important space is Las Peñas, which are also part of our reactivation plans, and the Santa Ana hill.

Her tourist plan has not finished, and she enjoys doing it with her loved ones: her two daughters, husband, brother and six dogs. “I do not deny that there are places that I have yet to discover in the city, such as a large part of the Salado estuary and that we do not use it. I think it has great potential… The estuary hides history, and I want to know it, ”she points out. Those anecdotes are what fill her soul and make her proud to be from Guayaquil.

• Staff

1. Guayaquil, 55 years old.
2. Wife and mother of two women.
3. She is the current president of the Municipal Public Tourism Company.
4. Regarding experiences in the tourism sector, she has had a career as Undersecretary of Investments, Ministry of Tourism of Ecuador and also, Zonal 5 coordinator, during 2013.
5. He has a master’s degree in art from Syracuse University of New York, and another in public health from the Catholic University of Guayaquil. She graduated from Bennington College, in Sculpture and Drawing.
6. He has received honors and awards for his cultural merit.