The Ecuadorean city of Quito is confident that it will reach 740,000 tourists by the year-end, which will represent a 5% increase over the previous year, according to the city’s tourism office. The authorities also reported that for the third consecutive year Ecuador’s capital has been chosen as South America's Leading Destination at the World Travel Awards.
Quito tourism numbers exceeded half a million visitors in the first nine months of the year, 48% of all arrivals in Ecuador, which is 5% more than the number of visitors recorded in the first nine months of the previous year. If this trend continues, the city authorities estimate that Quito will welcome one million visitors in 2019.
These favorable figures enabled the city for the third consecutive year to receive the award for Leading South American Destination at the World Travel Awards, known as the Tourism ‘Oscars’. Such recognition gives Quito remarkable global exposure as a tourist destination and contributes to the Quito tourism numbers.
Additionally, in 2015 Quito Tourism has been awarded the distinctive Brand Q by the Ecuadorean Ministry of Tourism in recognition of the work done in strengthening the quality of service delivery.
In this regard it offered this year's 'Bucket Pass’, which provides access to five of the city’s attractions (the Centre of the Earth, the Company, the City Museum, the Chapel of Man and Quito Tour Bus) at a reduced price and other advantages, such as online access and flexibility of use.
Quito also maintains its goal of becoming one of the region’s most competitive destinations in the meetings and conventions segment. In September Ecuador's capital hosted the first staging of the Meeting Industry Conference, a meeting that specializes in business tourism.
Also, at the end of 2016, the city will have a new convention centre located in the terminal of the old Quito airport for important international meetings to be held next year.
So far, twenty events have been confirmed, most notably Habitat III, the Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, and the VII Latin American Congress of Tourism Research, among others.