Comparative analysis of the gastronomic tourism offerings in Ecuador and its main South American competitors

Abstract

This study carries out a comparative analysis of the management of gastronomic tourism in South American capitals as tourist destinations. For its development, the guidelines of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) (2020) for the development of gastronomic tourism were used as a reference framework, as a benchmarking tool to evaluate the performance of gastronomic tourism in the reference countries. The study employs an integrative methodology, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches to generate both descriptive information on the territorial characteristics of the study area and quantitative data to project trends and potential territorial consequences of gastronomic tourism in the analysis units. As a fundamental result, it was possible to draw the parameters that characterise each of the destinations analysed. Additionally, strategies for improving the gastronomic tourism offer in Ecuador are presented.