Community Tourism Association of Sigchos (ASOTURSIGCH)

Ecuador

Their purpose

Founded in 2017, this tourism association was created by a group of individuals interested in benefiting from the natural resources in the area to promote the canton of Sigchos. The ultimate goal is turn it into a sustainable touristic destination, a unique initiative as remote and rural areas in central Ecuador focus their economic activities mostly on agriculture and cattle

Sigchos is located in the province of Cotopaxi. The members of ASOTURSIGCH (for its acronym in Spanish) hope their work will help the region become popular among domestic and international visitors thanks to its waterfalls, cliffs and the Inca culture. To develop community tourism in a sustainable way, every step has been taken to protect the environment, including limiting the number of visitors per day.

By successfully managing this project, the association will improve the quality of life of its members and generate income that may attract youth to join the association. With a lot of potential, ASOTURSIGCH asked for some assistance.

Our collaboration

Our partnership started in 2017. We assisted in the development of the organization by supporting technical feasibility and market study. As Ecuador’s native language is Spanish, we’ve also provided funding for an English language program developed by a local English teacher. More recently, a partnership with Fundación Educativa Rada (FUNDER – GSFEPP) made it possible to offer a group of members training in community tourism. They’ve gained knowledge on key areas such as sustainable community tourism development, planning and tour guiding best practices. They learned to develop tourism packages (four routes). ASOTURSIGCH receives ongoing support through our field coordinator and co-op students.