Promoting local culture and the environment
Ecuador offers breathtaking mountain landscapes, beautiful beaches and impressive cities. In order to preserve the local treasures and to make the travel industry sustainable in the long term, it is necessary to sensitize, impart knowledge and empower the tourism players involved. This is exactly where the project Qualification in Ecuador started to enable the qualification of local specialists.
Well prepared for the change
Together with local partners, the Fundación Municipal de Turismo Cuenca destination agency, the Tourismusministerium Ecuador (MINTUR) and the Hochschule Azuay the idea and in particular the implementation of responsible tourism was promoted at various levels. Financed by a development partnership of the develoPPP.de programme via Sequa gGmbH TourCert trained strategic sustainability managers in Ecuador. The applicant is comundus GmbH.
Our Goal – Qualification & Empowerment for the Future
The project aim was to establish an on-the-job qualification programme for tourism professionals and employees of local state destination agencies who can use the knowledge they have acquired to lead their city or region to sustainability certification. By anchoring the qualification programme locally, the shortage of skilled workers was counteracted and the dissemination of sustainable tourism promoted.
Step by Step
Define first frame
In cooperation with the local partners, preliminary discussions took place to define the project modules. The project was launched in December 2017 and the qualification was completed in September 2019.
Create the foundations
In May 2018 the kick-off workshop of the project was held in Cuenca. Together, the project partners defined the content, the course concept and the training programme. Practical manuals were to support the qualified trainers in their work.
Qualify & strengthen
Local trainers from Fundación Cuenca and MINTUR were qualified and trained through train-the-trainer courses. The programme enables them to accompany tourism companies and destinations on their way to sustainable economic development.
Put what has been learned into practice
The trained trainers accompanied the pilot destinations San Joaquin, Cuenca and Cajas on their way to sustainable destination development. Another four destinations have committed themselves to participating in the project.
Spreading & networking
An online platform will be developed and set up for data collection/analysis, e-learning, exchange between sustainability managers and trainers.
Our success
The project Qualification in Ecuador started in December 2017 and was finished in September 2019. Here we want to inform you on the milestones on the way:
Concept
In exchange with local partners, the entire qualification programme was defined and mapped out in a timetable.
Training
Initially, 19 trainers at MINTUR and 15 trainers at destination level in Cuenca were trained & qualified through intensive workshops. These trainers trained 30 sustainability managers from the partner companies in the pilot destinations on a part-time basis.
Sustainable destinations
Trained trainers already qualified and accompanied the destinations Cuenca, San Joaquin and Cajas on their way to sustainable destination development. Further destinations will follow. Cuenca and San Joaquín were awared succesfully with the TourCert certification.
Transfer
Together with MINTUR and Cuenca, the qualification programme is anchored in such a way that the training courses are offered beyond the end of the project and further sustainability managers are qualified. The Universidad del Azuay included the sustainability manager course in its curricula.
Impact
For the local population, the project creats new jobs and employment opportunities in the long term and avoids negative effects of increasing tourism on local culture and the environment. And the development also benefits the tour operators from the sending markets: the pilot destinations position themselves as attractive sustainable destinations in Ecuador & on the market.
Discover Ecuador for yourself!
Whether you are a traveller or a tour operator, Ecuador is always worth a visit. With the project Qualification in Ecuador we created more quality and sustainability in tourism and we accomanied destinations on their way to a Sustainable Destination. Even after the official end of the project this development and cooperation does not end.
