A pioneer in “light tourism”

The poet Pablo Hannibal Vela described Guayaquil as a golden arcade, a cosmopolitan city and a fertile land surrounded by water with a sun always in residence. 
 

The biggest city in Ecuador has little by little become an essential stop on the itinerary of any tourist going to Ecuador. Surrounded by incredible nature and a rich past, the city offers the visitor 1,001 corners to get to know, along with its welcoming inhabitants and an enviable climate, making it a destination to consider all year round. 
 

“Guayaquil is a beautiful city that for a number of reasons is very unique,” says Joseph Garzozi, Director of Tourism of the Municipality of Guayaquil. “Tourists can visit the mangrove reserves, tropical forests and botanical garden, sail along the shoreline or the river, or take part in adventure sports.” The beach is only 100 kilometers away and the city has various top-class museums, such as the Museum of Anthropology and Contemporary Art, while a varied gastronomy of seafood and dishes mixing Ecuadorian, European and Chinese influences will keep hunger at bay.
 

Guayaquil is also “a great shopping destination with over 20 modern shopping malls and many other markets that offer products from all over the world,” continues Garzozi. However, one thing that really makes the city stand out from the rest is the effort it is making to host conventions and fairs.

“Guayaquil is a beautiful city that has a host of things that make it unique”  Joseph Garzozi, Director of Tourism of the Municipality of Guayaquil

The city’s privileged location and climate means it can offer the ideal location for all types of conferences and exhibitions. Apart from having all the necessary infrastructure, as Garzozi explains, when you make a trip to a trade fair you “expect to enjoy what the host country has to offer. Here we have the Andes and the Amazon basin only 30 minutes away by plane, and the Galapagos Islands are only an hour and a half away. In one day you can see the whole country.” 
 

The city’s great potential means it has become a base for a wide range of events. For example it has been chosen to host the World Orchid Conference in 2017 and the biggest poultry fair in Latin America next year, while last year it hosted Mister Universe. 
 

All of this means Guayaquil is a destination to look out for on any trip to Ecuador. One big difference between the Pearl of the Pacific and the rest of the cities is that it has become the leading destination for “light tourism” in the world. “It’s a comfortable city to visit all year world,” explains Garzozi, in which you can enjoy its warm weather 365 days a year. “In Guayaquil the sun is always shining and the temperature never drops below 16 degrees,” which means the tourist can travel light giving them extra space in their suitcase. “When you travel light you feel free and you avoid any weight problems with the airlines.” Guayaquil is a city to visit any time of the year without worrying about what to wear. “You can go to any restaurant without a tie and enjoy the beaches and swimming pools all year round.” 

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This new campaign organized by the local authority reflects what Garzozi describes as the spirit of the city, “open to the visitor whether they are on the beach, in the park, on the shoreline or simply going down the river.” 
 

Guayaquil is not only ‘light’ with regards to the minimal luggage required, but also in the convenience and ease it offers the tourist; it’s a freedom that derives from the city’s past. From its beginnings in the 16th century Guayaquil has received all manner of people with open arms. “We are used to receiving people from all over the world. The ‘Guayaquileño’ is open by nature; this makes a big difference for the tourist who wants to be welcomed and have a wealth of things to do,” says Garzozi. 

Until now perhaps relatively undiscovered by Spanish tourists, Garzozi hopes this will change in the near future. “All who come to visit and help develop the life and future of our city are very welcome, it’s a place full of opportunities.”

 

As a business center, Guayaquil is second to none in Ecuador, with a special charm that is reflected in its monuments, parks and churches. A walk through its streets demonstrates the spectacular past of a city founded by the Spanish that has known how to reinvent itself through time. 
 

The city also has its own seven wonders as voted by its people. They highlight seven places that have to be visited by the tourist, such as the Simón Bolívar Malecón 2000 boardwalk, described as the “best place to visit in the city”. A space where nature combines with technology, it includes the first IMAX theater in Latin America against the city’s historic backdrop. It also marks the location of a meeting between Simón Bolívar and José San Martín during the war of independence. Now it has a convivial daytime atmosphere and a vibrant nightlife scene, and restaurants and shops are interspersed with gardens and play areas.
 

Another area not to be missed is the Las Peñas neighborhood, a picturesque area filled with wooden colonial-style houses that have resisted the passing of time to still ooze with charm. The La Rotonda chamber, known popularly as the monument of Bolívar and San Martín, should also be part of any planned visit, as well as the Salado waterfront and the Metropolitan Cathedral built in a neo-gothic style with stained glass windows and a marble alter. The wonders are topped off by the Municipal Palace and the Clock Tower.
 

However, the city has even more attractions. Its director of tourism has launched various other projects, including one that attempts to bring art to the streets – so much so that there is not a walkway in the city not graced by a work of art. “The aim is to ensure that art is everywhere; we’ve done it so that the streets adapt to our citizens,” says Garzozi. 
 

Green spaces and outdoor spas are also prominent because “this is a city blessed by the water of the biggest river to run into the Pacific Ocean,” Garzozi continues. “They say that cities surrounded by water have a special energy, perhaps for that reason we have here the first Buddhist temple in this part of the world.”
 

The city has changed greatly in recent years, according to Garzozi. Guayaquil was the biggest port and naval shipyard in the Pacific thanks to the wealth that came from the wood sector. Throughout history it has been plagued by fires, pirates and disease, but “we have always fought against adversity; we are a city that has survived a lot, so we know how to overcome a problem here,” Garzozi adds. 
 

With so many changes Guayaquil has become “a model of urban development thanks to the work of the Mayors Febres Cordero and Jaime Nebot Saadi. A model that is being copied by other cities in Latin America and around the world.”