Sustainable tourism management of accommodation establishments in the city of Cuenca Ecuador: Business Area

Abstract

The application of good sustainable practices has generated in the last years a greater interest in the Ecuadorian tourist sector; this fact is evident in the large number of certified accommodation establishments, a fact that results on the one hand from the benefits that companies receive after completing a certification process, as well as the growing sustainable awareness that tourists present at the moment of choosing an accommodation establishment. However, this situation does not occur in the city of Cuenca, because there is a low interest in the hotel business in Cuenca for incurring sustainable certification processes. From this perspective, this research work aimed to determine the level of application of good practices in housing establishments in the city of Cuenca; Focused specifically on the business aspect. The study had a qualitative approach with descriptive scope through the development of closed surveys through sampling, using the methodology of the Smart Voyager Standard where 7 accommodation establishments participated. The results indicate that there is a strong weakness in the hotel business structure, and almost no management of the perception of quality focused on customer service and attention, as well as very little knowledge on issues related to sustainability. From the results obtained, it is derived that there are currently no instruments that allow an increase in sustainable tourism management of accommodation establishments in the city of Cuenca, or benefits that allow increasing the participation of these establishments in the application of good practices sustainable.