The Daily Brief – Ecuador Tourism – Cuenca
Our continuing coverage of the rapidly expanding tourism industry now takes us to the city of Cuenca. The International Tourism Fair presentations continue across Ecuador, with the latest stop being the thriving Sierra city of Cuenca.
Cuenca is located in Azuay Province, in the south central region of Ecuador. In 2012, the region recorded over 400,000 unique visitors, underpinning a dynamic economic expansion in the region. Cuenca’s enviable tourism success rests heavily on quite arguably the best promotional tourism campaign of any city in Ecuador. Significant credit is merited to the Mayoral Administration of Victor Paúl Granda López, for a very forward looking and aggressive approach towards tourism marketing.
The tourism draw to Cuenca is, quite simply, the blend of quiet historical colonial charm, alongside a surprisingly diverse commercial base, ranging from small boutique shops, to quaint restaurant/cafes, to modern USA-style malls. Also hard to ignore, the wafting scent from the freshly baked goods to be found in Cuenca’s large array of “ma n’ pa” bakeries.
In addition, Cuenca has a plethora of charming old world churches, a robust music scene and a strong performing arts community. An entire afternoon can also be spent searching out unique pieces scattered about Cuenca’s many small art galleries. With its brick laden, narrow streets and Colonial flair, as well as its modern amenities enticing further, Cuenca is well positioned to enhance the tourism trend in Ecuador.
The city of Cuenca is also greatly helped by a distinctly vibrant and varied hospitality industry. From charming colonial inns, quietly tucked away in hidden courtyards and nondescript streets, to “First World”, modern hotels conveniently located near the center of everything, Cuenca beckons with diverse “stay a night” or “stay a week” choices that will satisfy every type of restless spirit and traveling soul.
Pushing tourism further into the 21st Century Internet arena, Cuenca’s leadership seeks to cull together a professional video promotion, which will feature the historical images, vibrant city life and cosmopolitan entertainment venues, aimed at drawing an additional 65,000 visitors, minimum, for the year 2013, in order to eclipse the very successful 2012 numbers. Cuenca will also use the video to draw 4,000 professionals from 30 different country delegations across the globe. Such innovation has made Cuenca a first-class leader in the tourism industry, amongst the cities of Ecuador.
