Tourism did not reach Esmeraldas despite the offers

Ecuadornews:

In Tonsupa, favorite destination for the people of Quito, the hotel rooms only filled 20%.

In the provincial capital the problem was also noticed. The Municipality of Quito estimated that more than 127,000 people would use the capital’s land terminals during the Labor Day holiday to travel to and from different destinations in the country.

The forecast indicated that from the Carcelén Terminal (north) more than 42,000 passengers would be mobilized and from the Quitumbe Terminal (south), 84,000 people. The tourist sector of Esmeraldas expected that a good part of the capital’s travelers would move to the beaches of the green province.

However, according to the tourist entrepreneur Patricio Becdach, the sector was “bad, bad, bad”. The operator assured that the level of occupation in his establishment, located in the Tonsupa parish, was between 15% and 20% and that the figure is applicable to the rest of the hotel sector in Esmeralda.

According to Becdach, the extension of the holiday from 3 to 4 days was late and did not produce the desired effect by the Government. He exemplified that all the guests had abandoned him at his hotel on Monday and no one stayed the extra day decreed by the President. He attributed the scant arrival of tourists and even cancellation of reservations that had the fear generated by the situation on the northern border.

He recalled, however, that the distance between the Esmeraldas spas and the zone of conflict is similar to the distance between Quito and Ibarra (Imbabura). Therefore he urged the government authorities to work already in the promotion of the next holiday (May 25, 26 and 27) motivating people to travel and, in the specific case of Esmeraldas, to send messages about security guarantees and displacement to the interior of the country.

The councilor of the canton Esmeraldas, Álex Estupiñán, assured that in the provincial capital the lack of tourism was also noticed. Estupiñán commented that the main affected are businesses. “The tourists do not want to expose themselves to the situation that we are going through,” he said, referring to problems on the border, but he clarified that the city of Esmeralda does not experience any violence, so he invited travelers on future holidays to Visit the city.

Playas fail in services

In the city of Playas, the main resort in the province of Guayas, the attendance was not massive as in other dates, although the president of the hoteliers in that city, Blanca Lopez, said that on Saturday and Sunday hotel occupancy was 80%.

Monday went down to 40% and yesterday was null, according to the businesswoman. In this resort, tourists choose to spend the day at the beach and return at night to Guayaquil, Milagro, Daule and Samborondón. Fernando Ruano and his family (a total of eight members) came to Playas from Cotacachi, Imbabura, and their main complaint was focused on the lack of basic services, such as toilets and public showers.

“You have to pay to wash with a bucket behind some rags or do your needs in precarious bathrooms,” she lamented.

Another citizen complaint was the cost of the hotels. “They charge $ 25 for rooms without air conditioning and between $ 40 and $ 50 for rooms with air,” which seems expensive compared to other cities.

Restriction in Baños-Puyo road

Four days after the landslide on the Baños-Puyo road, in which a young mother and her son died, personnel and machinery from the Ministry of Transport and Public Works (MTOP) and the Cabildo de Baños still travel several sections in order to clear the road.

In addition to Río Verde, where the accident occurred, in Machay, Ventana 4, La Merced and El Placer there were also avalanches, which motivated the authorities to restrict vehicular circulation.

On Monday afternoon, the Basic Services Technical Table 3 was met, chaired by the Governor of Tungurahua, Juan DeHowitt, who in coordination with representatives of the MTOP, the Secretariat of Risk Management and the National Police, decided that traffic would be enabled only on 06: 00 to 22:00.

Outside these hours the road will remain closed. This provision is also applicable in case of new rains. In the latter case, the alternative route will be via Baños-Ambato-Latacunga-Quito-Baeza-Tena-Puyo, and Riobamba-Macas-Puyo.

According to the MTOP, the impact caused by landslides covers about 17.5 kilometers. The Technical Table 3 also decided to deny the passage of all transport of rental tourism, such as bicycles or chivas. Buses of tourism operators can only reach the Río Blanco sector. (I)

Source: https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/ecuador/1/turismo-esmeraldas-banos-seguridad-deslaves