Landscape shaping the economy of small coastal villages
Location
GC140, Modesto A. Maidique Campus, Florida International University
Start Date
5-3-2015 2:30 PM
End Date
5-3-2015 2:45 PM
Abstract
Some years ago visitors and natives had a different way of enjoying the landscape of the coastal villages located in Santa Elena Province, in Ecuador. Nowadays natives of those towns are concerned about the emergent tourist industry, which is not just offering lodging but also it is increasing the construction of vacation homes or second homes. This development is showing notorious social and spatial changes in those coastal towns.
Since 80's, the real-estate investments in vacation homes have not stopped. In addition, it has been increasing year in year out, to the north of the Province. Nowadays there are not just homes but also luxury complex of buildings attracting more and more seasonal tourists. This real estate growing has been constantly changing the landscape and shaping the economy of those towns. The authorities in this province are aware of those effects citing in the Province's Master Plan of Development the lack of land use policies.
This study aims to describe the socioeconomic activity of coastal villages located in Santa Elena Province, which - during many years - have a resource-based economy: agriculture and fishing economy; but during this last years they have been trying to switch it to tourism. The analysis of spatial changes of the landscape and its effects as a consequence of the land use is another goal of this work. Finally, this study describes the quest of new natural tourist attractions that villagers and stakeholders have taken recently.
Key words: Nature and society, sociospatial, rural landscape, coastal landscape, tourism.
Landscape shaping the economy of small coastal villages
GC140, Modesto A. Maidique Campus, Florida International University
Some years ago visitors and natives had a different way of enjoying the landscape of the coastal villages located in Santa Elena Province, in Ecuador. Nowadays natives of those towns are concerned about the emergent tourist industry, which is not just offering lodging but also it is increasing the construction of vacation homes or second homes. This development is showing notorious social and spatial changes in those coastal towns.
Since 80's, the real-estate investments in vacation homes have not stopped. In addition, it has been increasing year in year out, to the north of the Province. Nowadays there are not just homes but also luxury complex of buildings attracting more and more seasonal tourists. This real estate growing has been constantly changing the landscape and shaping the economy of those towns. The authorities in this province are aware of those effects citing in the Province's Master Plan of Development the lack of land use policies.
This study aims to describe the socioeconomic activity of coastal villages located in Santa Elena Province, which - during many years - have a resource-based economy: agriculture and fishing economy; but during this last years they have been trying to switch it to tourism. The analysis of spatial changes of the landscape and its effects as a consequence of the land use is another goal of this work. Finally, this study describes the quest of new natural tourist attractions that villagers and stakeholders have taken recently.
Key words: Nature and society, sociospatial, rural landscape, coastal landscape, tourism.
Comments
The author have been working in Santa Elena Province (Ecuador) since 2012, doing consultancy for the Ecuadorian Ministry of Tourism and the Ecuadorian Ministry of Public Works and Transportation. A previous study about Second Homes developing in Santa Elena Province titled "Approach to the Vacation Home Tourism in Santa Elena Province, Ecuador" was by the author in "Retos" a peer reviewed Latindex Journal: retos.ups.edu.ec/documents/1999140/4590177/V6_Leon.pdf December 2013. Currently, the author's concern is focused in the impacts of the landscape's changes in those coastal villages given by this real estate investment.