Diseño de una ruta turística patrimonial relacionada al ámbito religioso en la zona rural del cantón Riobamba, provincia de Chimborazo.

Abstract

This research proposed the design of a heritage tourism route related to the religious area of the rural zone in Riobamba County, which was carried out using inductive, synthetic, and analytical methods. The research was developed in three stages: for the first objective, a situational diagnosis was to identify resources and attractions of the cultural heritage related to the religious culture of the 11 rural villages. After which the production of the local plant at the rural level, the basic infrastructure of each area, actors involved in the superstructure, and in turn the ordinances related to tourism in the area. On the other hand, to fulfill the second objective, the Interpretative Potential Index of each attraction was determined, to fulfill the third objective, the route was technically designed based on the analysis of demand, analysis of competition, confrontation of supply and demand, and finally, the concept of the route, itinerary, interpretive script, necessary facilities for the attractions and the marketing study was formulated. The results were: 56 attractions of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, mostly of hierarchy II, non-existence of tourist plants, and a lack of basic infrastructure; in the second stage it was determined that the attractions have high touristic potential; in the third stage, 4 routes were defined: Tour frío, cultura y fe; Cacha cultura, tradición y fe; Tour fe y culturas del Sur; and Tour ritmo, cultura y fe, each with its own facilities. To sum up, Riobamba has potential tourism in the religious cultural area, however, the lack of infrastructure and limited access to tourism activity and operation.