Los multiplicadores de desarrollo local en el turismo comunitario: caso de Agua Blanca, Manabí, Ecuador

Tourism became a real alternative to increase the standard of living. Its relevance becomes critical for developing countries, where industrialization and technology are scarce. Developing countries may improve their conditions through a model base on the so-called community-based tourism. The objective of this research work is to analyze the impact of the community-based tourism on local development at smallscale communities. The study takes place in the community of Agua Blanca, located in the province of Manabí, in the coastal side of Ecuador. Agua Blanca is an emblematic study case within the community-based tourism because this was the first community in Ecuador, which started this activity in an organized and systematic way since two decades ago. The current research work includes a brief description of the relevance of tourism in the world and also the importance of community-based tourism in Ecuador. Further, chapter two includes the theoretical framework of local development and its legal and normative rules in Ecuador. Chapter three describes the relevance of this activity within the change of the productive matrix of Ecuador. Chapter four presents the input-output production matrix of Agua Blanca to recognize the contribution of community-based tourism in the economy and its backward and forward connections derived from information obtained through a survey. Finally, conclusions emphasize the slow, uncoordinated and poorly-effective transition of Agua Blanca from an agriculturalbased economy towards a tourism service one due to the lack of added value and the mostly, the scarce linkages with suppliers and buyers at different stages.