"Tourism with Roots: Bridging Tradition and Innovation in Ecuador"

On Ecuador's coast, ancestral heritage and modern tourism coexist in a dynamic, often challenging interplay. While global tourism leans toward the dominance of large corporations and international travel flows, rural and Indigenous communities face the challenge of adapting without losing their identity and roots. This study explored how coastal Ecuadorian communities are redefining tourism on their own terms, prioritizing collectivity and cultural values over commercial norms. Through a decolonial lens, local tourism ventures are analyzed as acts of resistance and cultural preservation in an environment that typically demands conformity to market-driven rules. 

This study examined how rural and Indigenous communities in coastal Ecuador negotiate their participation in tourism, preserving traditional values while adapting to the pressures of the global market. It delved into the tensions between private and collective ownership, access to credit, and administrative requirements. Proximity tourism offers a promising path forward, advancing decolonial practices by prioritizing geographic and cultural closeness. Using a collaborative approach, the research highlights the role of collective ownership in resisting capitalism and concludes with a call for more inclusive, equitable, and decolonial tourism practices. 

Proximity tourism emerges as a hopeful avenue for rural and Indigenous tourism in Ecuador, emphasizing environmental connection and local practices over physical and cultural distance. Collaborating with Indigenous leaders and academics, this research employs intercultural methodologies that blend Indigenous knowledge with scientific approaches, creating a unique synergy between ancient traditions and contemporary analysis. This perspective underscores collective land ownership as a cornerstone of cultural identity and a critical form of resistance to the encroachment of global capitalism, which threatens to assimilate these communities into a tourism model disconnected from their essence. 

For Local Tourism That Amplifies Indigenous Voices and Builds Solidarity 

Beyond documenting local tourism practices, this research advocates for a tourism model that deeply respects local cultural values and collective needs. By promoting shared ownership and collaborative practices, coastal Ecuadorian communities challenge the status quo and offer an alternative vision of tourism development. The paper concludes with a call to transform the tourism industry into a more equitable and respectful model, recognizing decolonial practices, amplifying Indigenous and rural voices, and fostering tourism as a genuine pathway for local development.