Perspective of Conscious Tourism from the Point of View of Domestic Tourism in the City of Quito Ecuador

Abstract

Conscious tourism is a philosophy that evolves from sustainable tourism, incorporating the ethical dimension in which significant interest groups of the tourist experience participate, such as human beings, host communities, the business sector, and public institutions. Ecuador is a pioneer in promoting this philosophy based on equality and participation in tourist activity focused on the ideology of “give and take”. In previous publications, conscious tourism was conceptualized and characterized from the perspective of experts, and case studies were carried out from the perspective of the receiving tourist. This research advances by incorporating the participation of internal tourists who choose a tourist destination in the City of Quito through a survey with a sample of 801 domestic tourists. The case study results identify the knowledge and perception of this philosophy within domestic tourism. Analyzes the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty of tourists based on variables such as motivation, image, quality, or involvement with conscious tourism, which will be very useful when designing and implementing policies that seek social profitability and sustainable economic development.