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Q U I T O T O U R S |
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DESTINATION QUITO |
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In 1998, Quito’s authorities celebrated the twentieth anniversary of its World Heritage Site nomination by UNESCO by beginning the transformation of the capital’s historic centre – the largest and least-altered in the Americas – reclaiming its elegant public spaces, its grandeur and its legacy. Since then, new museums have been inaugurated, cultural centres opened up, mansions restored, restaurants, hotels and cafés launched, safety improved, traffic regulated, culture and learning promoted.
As the city celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of its nomination this year, the capital’s heart beats with renewed vigour, cultural life and pride, as citizens and visitors alike enjoy its unique attractions. The jewel in Ecuador’s crown today shines brighter than ever before.
Tourism in Quito has echoed this renaissance. “Quito, the colonial capital perched 9,200 feet up in the Andes,” wrote The New York Times on December 9, 2007, selecting Quito as one of its ‘Places to Go in 2008’, “is no longer just a whistle stop”. Tourism numbers have doubled since 2002. Hotel occupancy rates have doubled. Tourism revenues are today estimated at $606 million, making the sector the most important engine for development in the Metropolitan District. Ever-improving service and ever-greater professionalism has accompanied this growth.
As the city begins the second phase of its development and marketing plan, called “Plan Q”, we are looking to build on the successes and growth of the last years. The plan envisages diversifying the attractions on offer. We have begun to promote a great “Birds and Yumbos” route which takes in the best natural and archaeological sites to the northwest of the city. We continue to promote “The Way of the Amazon” which takes visitors over the eastern cordillera of the Andes to the Amazon Basin, via the lovely thermal spring hotel and resort of Papallacta.
We are consolidating the attractions in the city, too, with a new “Views to Touch the Sky” product taking in the best viewpoints from the city’s surrounding hills; improving the infrastructure and the information for the Pichincha Volcano which overshadows the capital; and expanding our information on various areas of the city worthy of greater interest: the train station of Chimbacalle (which by 2009 will once again take passengers out of the city to the south); the urban parks such as Parque Metropolitano Guanguilagua, Parque La Alameda, Parque La Carolina and Parque Itchimbía; the neighbourhoods of Bellavista, Guápulo, La Floresta, San Juan; and the archaeological sites of Rumipamba and La Florida.
As Quito hosts Travel Mart Latin America in 2008, the city and its surrounding region are better placed than ever to receive international visitors, with a new, expanded airport due to open by 2011, a clutch of five-star hotels, top-class restaurants, brilliant shopping, fun nightlife and cultural scenes, and a huge diversity of adventures-in-nature to enjoy within an hour or two of the city centre. All this amid a city which is authentic, built on a human scale, hassle-free, great value, diverse, and firmly placed on the road to a sustainable future. |
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Suitcase
