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Pag. 3
Post-pandemic comparative analysis between the health crisis and the
public policies of the Playas Canton-Ecuador.
Análisis comparativo post pandemia entre la crisis sanitaria y las políticas públicas del
Cantón Playas-Ecuador.
Germán Narváez Vásquez
1
* ;Teresa Meza Clark
2
; Jorge Meza Clark
3
& Atzimba González Garcilazo
4
Received: 04/03/2024 - Accepted: 06/06/2024 - Published: 01/07/2024
Research
Articles
X
Review
Articles
Essay
Articles
* Author for correspondence.
Abstract.
Faced with the crisis triggered by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the global economy faced an unprecedented collapse, affecting both economic and social
aspects. In Latin America and the Caribbean, fundamental sectors such as tourism suffered a significant paralysis. According to data from the World
Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the influx of international tourists worldwide decreased drastically, suggesting a gradual reactivation of the sector.
Ecuador, among the most affected countries, experienced an alarming increase in cases of contagion, ranking second in terms of mortality after Brazil.
The objective of this research is to analyze the post-pandemic situation, comparing the health crisis with the public policies implemented in the Playas
Canton, one of the main tourist destinations in the Province of Guayas. for which the following method was applied: i) Analysis of the socio-economic
indicators applied to the national and international tourism sector, ii) Analysis of the case study and application of surveys to tourist centers in the Playas
Canton in two moments, and iv) Inferences about affected indicators. The results obtained lead us to reflect on whether the bad situation that the
Ecuadorian tourism sector is going through is the result of the pandemic or public policy.
Keywords.
post pandemic, tourism sector, health crisis, public policy.
Resumen.
Frente a la crisis desencadenada por la pandemia del SARS-CoV-2, la economía global enfrentó un colapso sin precedentes, afectando tanto aspectos
económicos como sociales. En América Latina y el Caribe, sectores fundamentales como el turismo sufrieron una paralización significativa. Según datos
de la Organización Mundial del Turismo (OMT), la afluencia de turistas internacionales a nivel mundial disminuyó drásticamente, lo que sugiere una
reactivación gradual del sector. Ecuador, entre los países más afectados, experimentó un aumento alarmante de casos de contagio, ubicándose en el
segundo lugar en términos de mortalidad después de Brasil. La presente investigación tiene como objetivo analizar la situación post-pandemia,
comparando la crisis sanitaria con las políticas públicas implementadas en el Cantón Playas, uno de los destinos turísticos principales de la Provincia del
Guayas. para lo cual se aplicó el siguiente método: i) Análisis de los indicadores socio-económicos aplicados al sector turístico nacional e internacional,
ii) Análisis del caso de estudio y aplicación de encuestas a centros turísticos del Cantón Playas en dos momentos, y, iv) Inferencias sobre indicadores
afectados. Los resultados obtenidos conllevan a reflexionar si la mala situación que atraviesa el sector turístico ecuatoriano es el resultado de la pandemia
o de política pública.
Palabras clave.
post pandemia, sector turístico, crisis sanitaria, política pública.
1. Introduction.
At the end of 2019, Wuhan Municipality in Hubei Province,
China, reported several cases of pneumonia with unknown
etymology, by January 9, 2020, the Chinese Center for
Disease Control and Prevention identified a new
coronavirus as the cause of this outbreak. On January 30,
2020, with more than 7,700 confirmed cases in China and
82 confirmed cases among 18 countries, the Director
General of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared
the outbreak a public health emergency of international
concern, following the recommendations of the Emergency
1
Universidad de Guayaquil; german.narvaezv@ug.edu.ec; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1397-2610; Guayaquil; Ecuador.
2
Universidad de Guayaquil; teresa.mezacl@ug.edu.ec ; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5955-6893 ; Guayaquil; Ecuador.
3
Universidad de Guayaquil; jorge.mezacl@ug.edu.ec ; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0512-8671 ; Guayaquil; Ecuador
4
Universidad Vasco de Quiroga; agonzalezg@uvaq.edu.mx ; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2739-2417 ; Morelia; México
Committee of the International Health Regulations. In
March 2020, WHO determined SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) to
be a global pandemic [1].
SARS-CoV-2, paralyzed several key sectors of the Latin
American and Caribbean economy, such as tourism.
According to the Economic Commission for Latin America
and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the number of international
tourists worldwide will decrease between 58% and 78% by
2020 [2]. In this context, the Círculo de Estudios
Latinoamericanos (CESLA) points out that Ecuador in May
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Pag. 4
showed 579,783 suspended workers and as of July 3
increased to 705,424, that is to say, more than 100,000
inactive people. 37.58% in Pichincha and 30.62% in Guayas
[3].
The Playas Canton is the only seaside resort in the Guayas
Province, it has an exceptional climate and welcomes
national and international tourists all year round, its
economy is based on tourism and fishing, about 2,500
families depend on tourism. Playas has 57,817 inhabitants,
in mid-March there were 6 deaths per day due to the virus,
registering 174 deaths at the peak of the pandemic,
previously the average was four deaths per month [4].
According to the report of the cantonal Emergency
Operations Center (COE) and after the results obtained by
performing rapid tests in the population of Playas Canton at
the end of May, 86% of the population was not infected with
the virus (49,020 people), while the remaining 14%
equivalent to 7,980 people were carriers of the virus; of
these, 31% (2,474 people) were asymptomatic patients [5].
The objective of this research is to carry out a comparative
post-pandemic analysis between the health crisis and public
policies in Playas Canton, Ecuador. To achieve this
objective, qualitative and quantitative approaches were
combined, with a non-experimental, cross-sectional
research design, the type of research is descriptive, which
will help to analyze the social and economic effects in
Playas Canton, using data collection instruments such as a
survey, semi-structured interviews, observation sheets and
photographic record of the area.
The results obtained lead to infer that, in the year 2022, the
factors that had the greatest impact on the economic aspect
were those related to income and unemployment, barely
different with one digit from the pandemic year, what we
can deduce with this item is that before the pandemic and
after the pandemic, the economic situation has not
improved. In the social aspect were health and education,
what can be highlighted is that although it is true that the
opening to social contact was opened, the health issue did
not improve, but the situation of education had a better
projection.
1.1 Literature review.
In order to carry out the post-pandemic comparative
analysis between the health crisis and public policies, it is
necessary to address the issue of "local development"
which, among other elements, is the set of relationships and
productive, commercial and employment links relevant to
explain the productive efficiency and competitiveness of the
economic base of a given territory, which does not
necessarily coincide with the administrative boundaries of a
municipality or province. Local development has a
territorial perspective and has an upward "bottom-up" trend;
it requires the participation of public authorities (municipal,
provincial and national) that simplify the success of
territorial development objectives and strategies [6].
Local development is not limited exclusively to local
economic development; it is an integrated approach in
which the environmental, cultural, socio-institutional, labor
and human development aspects of the respective territorial
area must also be considered [6, 5].
On the other hand, socioeconomic development factors are
those that measure the progress of a population, its level of
equality and the cohesion that exists among its inhabitants.
These factors are indicators that make it possible to make
proposals for decision making, mainly in economic and
social aspects, which allows the integral development of the
population to be favored. Figure 1 shows the dimensions
considered for the research, which were obtained from the
databases of the National Institute of Statistics and Census
[7]. Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion [8].
Figure 1. Factors that measure Socioeconomic Development
Economic development is a predominant factor in the
satisfaction levels of a country or region, as it is closely
linked to improving stability indices and human
development. Economists have discovered that the
determining factors of economic development are based on
four axes: human resources, natural resources, capital, and
technology [9].
Human capital, currently referred to as human resources,
comprises a cornerstone in economic development and
requires priority attention to maintain an optimal level of
efficiency. Investments in human capital are a source of
growth and well-being, substantially contributing to
economic growth and the productivity of the economy as a
complement to contributions from fixed capital investment
[10]. This way, we can understand the importance of human
resources in a country's economic development.
On the other hand, human capital is considered a
conditioning factor for the development and success of an
economy. In other words, an economy that intends to
progress must adequately attend to human capital by
providing health, security, and quality education [11].
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Pag. 5
Natural resources are materials existing in the natural
environment that are scarce and economically useful in
production or consumption, either in raw form or after
having undergone minimal processing [9]. The following
are the factors that were considered to analyze the economic
situation of the sector:
First, we have "employment," which according to the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development,
the generation of productive jobs is key to promoting
economic growth, reducing poverty, and increasing social
cohesion. Employment is the main tool for fighting poverty
and dignifying human beings by providing a decent source
of income. A person will be able to foster the country's
economic growth and increase their personal quality of life,
accessing better life opportunities such as education, health,
housing, and thus increase their level of satisfaction and
personal improvement, which will be reflected in human
development indices [12].
The International Labour Organization (ILO) points out that
improving access to quality jobs can result in increased
income and contribute to achieving more cohesive and
equitable societies. Creating better quality jobs is essential
to achieve the world we desire. The cohesion of societies is
one of the fundamental tasks of governments, which is
achieved through correct legislation and public policies that
help the population to obtain decent employment, which
dignifies the human being, increasing their level of
satisfaction and therefore their production, thus creating a
more powerful economic engine in which both the state and
the population benefit [13].
On the other hand, "unemployment" is a limiting condition
in a country's development, as high unemployment rates
prevent providing the population with dignified living
conditions and raising social welfare. This is one of the most
concerning economic phenomena as it causes slow growth,
decreased employment rates, and economic recession,
affecting the most vulnerable economic sectors of the
economy [14].
Maintaining low unemployment rates is important for a
government as it allows for providing more stability to the
population, which represents a lower fiscal burden for the
government since there will not be a high demand for social
services from the population. In the current conditions,
fighting unemployment represents a real battle for
governments around the world, especially for Latin
American ones, as the current health crisis caused by
COVID-19, plus the social restrictions imposed to contain
the virus, undermines the conditions for safe and stable
employment.
In the last 10 months, labor markets in Latin America and
the Caribbean have regressed at least 10 years, and the crisis
is far from over. We arrive in 2021 with employment in
intensive care, and with the difficult but unavoidable
mission of laying the foundations for a new and better
normality [13]. In Ecuador, unemployment significantly
affects the country, as when there are no job opportunities,
people opt to employ themselves by carrying out informal
activities that do not represent dignified conditions or
adequate social benefits [14].
The National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC)
places adequate employment at 30.8%; underemployment
at 22.7%; unpaid employment at 12.2%; other non-full
employment at 28.4%; and unemployment at 5%. These
statistics show that unemployment in Ecuador has been
increasing since 2019, and the underemployment rate has
likewise increased, revealing that Ecuador currently does
not provide adequate conditions for decent employment,
allowing inadequate living conditions to be established in
the country [7].
In this same sense, "income" is a means that allows
achieving valuable achievements for human development;
considering the interpersonal variations of the individual,
determined by their capacity to convert these means into
acceptably expected results [15]. Income inequality creates
gaps between populations; it is the duty of governments and
their Decentralized Autonomous Governments (GADs) to
create policies so that these gaps are not so prominent. This
could be shortened by providing the most vulnerable
population with the necessary tools to be able to have the
capacity to fight for similar incomes regardless of their
economic condition.
High levels of inequality are undesirable due to the effects
they have on society: restrictions on development and
economic growth, problems of crime and violence, greater
polarization, and less social cohesion [16]. The greater the
income inequality in a country, the more visible the social
gaps that manifest in that society will be. For this reason,
governments or municipalities must issue laws and norms
that guarantee providing the most needy with the necessary
tools so that they, with education, health, and work, can
shorten these gaps and thus contribute to the country's
growth.
Another factor to consider is "poverty." In the context of
development, this implies the need to eliminate deprivations
of freedom, including poverty itself. Poverty is not only
related to low income but also to the lack of opportunities.
It not only indicates that a person lacks sufficient purchasing
power, but it also acts as an anchor that keeps countries in
underdevelopment and prevents them from achieving full
development. A country with high levels of poverty cannot
be considered developed [17].
The effects of poverty on those who suffer from it and on
the societies that endure it affect people's lives and health,
their well-being, and their security. The poor often see their
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Pag. 6
most basic rights affected and usually do not have an
audible voice in the political arena. Hence, their interests are
often not taken into account even in a democratic context.
The fight against poverty is also a fight against social
exclusion in favor of the meaning of democracy, which is to
listen to the people's needs and give them the tools they need
to move forward because as long as this doesn't happen,
poverty will continue to devour societies, plunging them
into misery and social decline [18].
On the other hand, social development seeks the
participation of citizens within a society in which they can
develop, acquire skills, and flow in synergy with their peers.
Social development promotes the inclusion of the poor and
vulnerable by empowering people, creating cohesive and
resilient societies, and improving the accessibility and
accountability of institutions to citizens. Thus, we can
understand that social development seeks the inclusion and
well-being of society [19].
When referring to social development, we also refer to the
fact of seeking to increase the level of personal satisfaction
of a group of people in relation to the environment in which
they live. This is a fundamental duty of the State or
Municipality that governs them, which must provide the
necessary conditions for this to be fulfilled through laws,
campaigns, social programs, and even the provision of
fundamental services such as quality basic services that can
guarantee the adequate living of the population.
One of the factors that has been considered to measure
social development is "social contact," which consists of
moving away from crowded and restricted places, limiting
interaction between people by taking a certain physical
distance or avoiding direct contact between them [20].
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
recommends that social distancing is one of the everyday
preventive measures that should be taken together to reduce
the spread of COVID-19, which include wearing masks
[21]. Global, regional, and national health organizations
have found social distancing to be their most effective
measure to fight against this condition. Reducing social
contact helps to improve contagion rates, keeping the
epidemiological curve more controlled.
Another indicator considered in the research is "health,"
considered as a state of complete physical, mental, and
social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity" [22] in health, not only the physical well-being of
the individual is sought, but also their mental and social
well-being in order to affirm that that person possesses a full
state of health. Public Health is defined as a very important
governmental and social activity, of a multidisciplinary and
interdisciplinary nature, that extends to almost all aspects of
society [23].
Public health is one of the most important governmental
activities of the state since by guaranteeing complete
physical, mental, and social well-being of the population, it
increases levels of social stability and economic production.
According to Cardona [24], public health is the science and
art of preventing illnesses and disabilities, prolonging life,
and promoting physical and mental health and efficiency
through organized community efforts to sanitize the
environment, control infectious and non-infectious
diseases.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) expresses that "education" is one
of the main rights that the population should enjoy as it will
allow their personal development, both emotional and
moral, in which they will be able to access better life
opportunities through the development of their intellectual
capacities. In this same sense, it is affirmed that "Education
is a human right for all, throughout life, and that access to
instruction must be accompanied by quality" [25].
Reinforcing this idea, the United Nations (UN) states that
education shall be directed to the full development of the
human personality and to the strengthening of respect for
human rights and fundamental freedoms [26].
2. Materials and methods.
The pandemic generates significant effects on the economic
growth and social development of countries, causing greater
inequality and vulnerability that are observed in the growing
trends of poverty and extreme poverty. The research is
characterized as exploratory and descriptive, as it describes
the causes of the problem and analyzes its possible effects
without arriving at causal inferences or association of
variables.
The literature exploration was carried out in different
databases, highlighting information from the World
Tourism Organization (UNWTO) [27],CEPAL [2], and
applying the socio-economic variables of INEC [7], and the
general statistical indicators of the Ministry of Economic
and Social Inclusion (MIES) [8], as well as extensive
literature from reliable sources such as scientific articles and
publications that allowed us to create a timeline regarding
the intervening variables, placing special emphasis on the
social and economic impact of the sector under analysis.
The pandemic generates significant effects on the economic
growth and social development of countries, causing greater
inequality and vulnerability that are observed in the growing
trends of poverty and extreme poverty. The research is
characterized as exploratory and descriptive, as it describes
the causes of the problem and analyzes its possible effects
without arriving at causal inferences or association of
variables.
The literature exploration was carried out in different
databases, highlighting information from the World
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Pag. 7
Tourism Organization (UNWTO) [27], ECLAC [2], and
applying the socio-economic variables of INEC [7], and the
general statistical indicators of the Ministry of Economic
and Social Inclusion (MIES) [8], as well as extensive
literature from reliable sources such as scientific articles and
publications that allowed us to create a timeline regarding
the intervening variables, placing special emphasis on the
social and economic impact of the sector under analysis.
In seeking to achieve the stated objective, the following
method was applied: i) Analysis of socioeconomic
indicators applied to the national and international tourism
sector, ii) Analysis of the case study and application of
surveys to tourist centers in Cantón Playas in two periods,
and, iv) Inferences on affected indicators.
For the analysis of tourism indicators, the UNWTO
database was used, where the tourism situation for the years
2020, 2021, and 2022 was compared at a global level (see
Table 1), and for the Americas and the Caribbean (see Table
2); as well as at the national level (see Table 3). The socio-
economic analysis of Cantón Playas was carried out in two
periods; the first in 2020, through a non-probabilistic
sample selected at the researcher's convenience, choosing
five establishments (two hotels and three restaurants) and
applying surveys to 85 owners of small tourism businesses.
In a second period, in 2022, the questionnaires (semi-
structured interviews) were reapplied to the five tourist
establishments surveyed in 2020; and surveys were applied
to 70 owners of small tourism businesses at the researcher's
convenience.
Among the research techniques used, we have the
observation sheet, which was related to the description of
the social and economic situation of small tourism
businesses. Subsequently, a questionnaire was applied,
which was previously validated in the 2020 research and
subjected to analysis by expert teachers from the University
of Guayaquil. For the analysis of results, the SPSS statistical
tool was used, which allowed inferences to be made from
the information collected.
3. Analysis and Interpretation of Results.
Latin America and the Caribbean face the pandemic from a
more difficult position compared to the rest of the world,
prior to the pandemic. ECLAC predicted that the region
would grow a maximum of 1.3% in 2020. However, the
effects of the pandemic have caused this forecast to change,
and during the pandemic period, a fall in GDP of around
1.8% is predicted. The final economic impact would be the
result of measures taken at national, regional, and global
levels [2].
The sectors most affected by social distancing measures and
quarantines are service sectors, which depend on
interpersonal contact. Among the sectors that suffered the
greatest contraction are: commerce, transport, business
services, and social services, which provide 64% of formal
employment. Similarly, 53% of employment in the region
occurs in informal activities, which were significantly
affected [2].
Likewise, the global economy is experiencing an
unprecedented economic and social crisis. Many key sectors
in Latin America and the Caribbean were paralyzed, such as
the tourism sector. The UNWTO considers that the influx
of international tourists worldwide decreased between 58%
and 78% in 2020 [2], which suggested that the reactivation
of the sector would be progressive from 2021. However, as
we can observe in Table 1, the recovery of the sector has
been very slow and in some cases, such as in Asia and the
Pacific, almost non-existent.
Table 1. World Tourism Results
África
Americas
Asia
and the
Pacific
Europe
Middle
East
2020
-75%
-67%
-80%
-66%
-73%
2021
-74%
-62%
-94%
-59%
-71%
2022
-40%
-35%
-86%
-26%
-24%
Source: Own elaboration based on [27]
The regions that have had a significant recovery since 2020
are the Americas, which went from -67% in 2020 to -35%
in 2022, and similarly, Europe from -66% in 2020 to -26%
in 2022, which confirms the hypothesis that everything
would depend mainly on health policy decisions for this
sector.
The situation in the Americas and the Caribbean is irregular,
as certain regions show a significant recovery, such as
Central America, which recovers from -72% in 2020 to -
20% in tourist arrivals. The opposite case is South America,
which recovers from -66% in 2020 to only -54% in 2022.
Even in 2021, as can be observed in Table 2, there is a sharp
decline in arrivals of -85%, possibly related to a resurgence
in COVID-19 infections.
Table 2. Tourism Results in the Americas and the Caribbean
North
America
The
Caribb
ean
Central
America
South
America
Regional
Total
2020
-68%
-60%
-72%
-66%
-67%
2021
-61%
-35%
-55%
-85%
-62%
2022
-35%
-18%
-20%
-54%
-35%
Source: Own elaboration based on [27]
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Pag. 8
One of the countries that experienced an uncontrolled and
progressive increase in SARS-CoV-2 infections was
Ecuador. El Universo newspaper reported that the number
of deaths exceeded ten per day, with the highest peak
reaching 96 deaths (33 confirmed and 63 probable) on
March 30 [28]. The affected parishes were Tarqui 47%,
Febres Cordero 20.99%, and Ximena 14.36%. On June 29,
Ecuador reached 55,255 positive SARS-CoV-2 cases,
according to a report by the Ministry of Public Health,
taking data from February 22 to June 28, 2020, with
Guayaquil accounting for 18.06% of these (9,981) [28, 29].
Under this scenario, Ecuador in general and the tourism
sector, in particular, were significantly affected. As shown
in Table 3, in 2020 this sector saw a -76% decline in tourist
arrivals, representing a -66% reduction in spending and a -
69% drop in income. In the following years, 2021 and 2022,
a not very significant recovery was observed, with a -52%
decrease in tourist arrivals and a -42% drop in income. It is
noteworthy that in 2021, a policy to boost the tourism sector
was adopted, which had almost no effect due to the
resurgence of the pandemic.
Table 3. Tourism results in Ecuador
Arrivals
Spending
Income
2020
-76%
-66%
-69%
2021
-68%
2%
-54%
2022
-52%
-20%
-42%
Source: Own elaboration based on [27]
To measure the post-pandemic impact on the Ecuadorian
tourism sector, a questionnaire was applied in two periods,
in 2020 and in 2022, to one of the sectors with the most
projection and tourism growth, such as Cantón Playas in the
Province of Guayas-Ecuador.
4. Discussion.
To carry out this research, in 2020 a structured
questionnaire was administered, designed to collect data on
social and economic variables, to a sample of 85 employees
in the tourism sector. In addition, semi-structured
interviews were conducted with the owners of five tourist
establishments, including restaurants and hotels, in order to
obtain a deeper and qualitative perspective. This mixed
methodological approach, combining quantitative and
qualitative techniques, allowed for a comprehensive
assessment of labor and economic dynamics in the field of
tourism.
The information was analyzed using the statistical tool
(SPSS), where the following could be observed in general
terms: i) More than 50% of the respondents are male,
ranging between 41-50 years old, having a secondary
education level and living in the Cantonal Capital, ii) Their
household is made up of between 2 and 4 people, with the
majority of cases having no young children, iii) Most of the
respondents have not had close contact with a person
infected with SARS-CoV-2. iv) In households where there
are young children, their care is in charge of a relative
between 21 and 30 years old who does not live in the same
household, v) It is emphasized that the respondents have had
to leave their homes to work, vi) It is interesting to know
that 92.2% are independent employees who are mostly
dedicated to tourist service activities including
accommodation and food services; bars, entertainment and
recreation as well as dining rooms, followed by beach
activities such as renting tents, parasols, hammocks and
selling crafts, vii) These independent employees belong to
associations of tourism service providers who have spent
the months of pandemic with their savings, decreased their
income and had no monthly income in the last six months,
before the pandemic the monthly income was 1–500 dollars,
viii) The impact in terms of work/business was very
significant, they consider that to date they have not fully
recovered. As indicated in Figure 2, for the second period
(year 2022), the results were as follows:
Figure 2. Socio-economic impact in Cantón Playas
We can observe that the variables used to determine the
post-pandemic social and economic impact in the tourism
sector were: for economic analysis: employment,
unemployment, income, and poverty; and for social
analysis: social contact, health, and education. The
reference years are 2020 and 2022. A scale of 1 to 10 was
used for the graph representation, where 1 is the least
impact.
In 2020, the factors that had the most impact on the
economic aspect were income level (9) and unemployment
(6), while in the social aspect, they were social contact (10)
and health (9). As can be seen, during the pandemic, the
factor that most influenced the tourism sector was social
contact, followed by health-related aspects.
Universidad de
Guayaquil
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ISSN – p: 1390 –9428 / ISSN – e: 3028-8533 / INQUIDE / Vol. 06 / Nº 02
Facultad de
Ingeniería Química
Ingeniería Química y Desarrollo
Universidad de Guayaquil | Facultad de Ingeniería Química | Telf. +593 4229 2949 | Guayaquil – Ecuador
https://revistas.ug.edu.ec/index.php/iqd
Email: inquide@ug.edu.ec | francisco.duquea@ug.edu.ec
Pag. 9
In 2022, the factors with the most impact on the economic
aspect are those related to income (8) and unemployment,
barely different by one digit from the pandemic year, which
we can infer from this item that before and after the
pandemic, the economic situation has not improved. In the
social aspect, they were health (8) and education (5), which
can be inferred that although it is true that the opening to
social contact opened up, the health issue did not improve,
but the education situation had a better projection. The
results obtained lead us to reflect on whether the situation
facing the Ecuadorian tourism sector is the result of the
pandemic or of the deficient or poor application of public
policy.
5. Conclusions.
The crisis generated by the Covid-19 pandemic represents
an unprecedented event worldwide; in addition to the
collapse of world trade, economic and social inequality
increased exponentially; manifested in high unemployment
rates, considerable decrease in income, high levels of
poverty, low educational performance, and problems in
public health systems. Ecuador was not exempt from these
problems as the pandemic undoubtedly increased these
variables and therefore the gap between social classes. In
this sense, the present research aimed to analyze the social
and economic impact faced by Cantón Playas, one of the
main tourist places in the Province of Guayas.
The tourism sector was significantly affected, as
demonstrated in the research carried out in the database of
[27] where in 2020 this sector decreased by -76% in tourist
arrivals, representing -66% in expenses and -69% in
income. In the following years 2021 and 2022, there was a
not very significant recovery, reaching -52% of tourist
arrivals and -42% of income. It is noteworthy that in 2021 a
policy to boost the tourism sector was adopted, which had
almost no effect due to the rebound of the pandemic.
Taking into account the aforementioned variables, in 2020
the research showed that the factors that had the most
impact on the economic aspect were income level and
unemployment, while in the social aspect they were social
contact and health. In particular, the factor that most
influenced the tourism sector was social contact, followed
by health-related aspects.
In 2022, the predominant economic factors continued to be
income and unemployment, showing only a slight variation
compared to the pandemic year, suggesting that the
economic situation has not significantly improved before
and after the pandemic. Regarding the social aspect, the
most important factors were health and education. This
indicates that, although social contact has increased, the
health situation has not improved, while education has
shown a better projection.
This research leads us to consider whether the current
situation of the tourism sector in Ecuador is due to the
pandemic or to the poor implementation of public policies.
It is crucial to continue conducting studies that demonstrate
that this variable is the most important for evaluating any
uncontrollable event that impacts the country.
6. References.
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emergencia de salud pública de importancia internacional,» 2020.
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América Latina y el Caribe a causa del COVID-19,» 2020.
[3]
CESLA (Circulo de Estudios Latinoamericanos), «Teletrabajo y
suspensión laboral en crecimiento a pesar de la reactivación parcial
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[4]
A. García, «El Cantón General Villamil cambiará a semáforo
amarillo el 8 de junio y toma aún 'con pinzas' la reapertura de sus
playas,» El Comecio, 2020.
[5]
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Trabajo,» 2021.
[14]
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[15]
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«Distanciamiento social,» 2020.
Universidad de
Guayaquil
INQUIDE
Ingeniería Química y Desarrollo
https://revistas.ug.edu.ec/index.php/iqd
ISSN – p: 1390 –9428 / ISSN – e: 3028-8533 / INQUIDE / Vol. 06 / Nº 02
Facultad de
Ingeniería Química
Ingeniería Química y Desarrollo
Universidad de Guayaquil | Facultad de Ingeniería Química | Telf. +593 4229 2949 | Guayaquil – Ecuador
https://revistas.ug.edu.ec/index.php/iqd
Email: inquide@ug.edu.ec | francisco.duquea@ug.edu.ec
Pag. 10
[22]
OMS (Organización Mundial de la Salud), «Conferencia Sanitaria
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G. Toledo Curbelo, Fundamentos de Salud Publica, La Habana:
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[26]
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[27]
OMT (Organización Mundial del Turismo), «Dashboard de datos
turísticos de ONU Turismo,» 2022.
[28]
El Universo, «Coronavirus en Ecuador: Hasta 62 muertos por día
hubo en Guayaquil a finales de marzo,» El Universo, 24 Abril
2020.
