Agrotourism and the Spirit of Entrepreneurship in times of pandemic COVID 19: The Case of the Rice Route in Guayas, Ecuador
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Abstract
Agrotourism has proven in recent years to be a key activity in rural areas versus the decline of the traditional agricultural industry, both in developed and emerging countries. The contribution of this activity is important because it helps to counteract socioeconomic processes such as unemployment and strengthens the entrepreneurial spirit in rural areas; however, in times of pandemic, its impact is unknown. The objective of the research was to conduct an analysis of agrotourism and the spirit of entrepreneurship during the COVID-19 pandemic season, at the “Ruta del Arroz” (Rice Route) in the province of Guayas, in order to know the impact on the behavior of the agritourism sector. The study is qualitative, for which interviews were conducted with tourism technicians of the Decentralized Autonomous Governments and owners of companies in the tourism and agri-food sector. The results obtained indicate that at least 73% of those interviewed have a low or very low perception in four indicators of entrepreneurship. As a contribution to the study, factors that stimulate entrepreneurship were obtained and, also limiting factors faced by industry actors in the study area were determined. As a conclusion, technical, economic, political, and social support by tourism managers based on their competencies is urgently needed to create environments that strengthen the entrepreneurial spirit in the Ruta del Arroz.
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