Reactivation of the Historic Center of Quito generates interest in Europe

From June 12 to 21 of this year, the cities of Toulouse, Carcassonne and Bordeaux, in France, hosted the "Heritage and Sustainable Development" International Training Week, which was aimed at directors and technicians of tourism projects from various cities. which are part of Sites & Cités, an association of notable sites and cities, created in France, which promotes actions to preserve historical heritage.

At the meeting, which was attended by representatives of 17 cities from around the world, knowledge and experiences were shared and exchanged to promote global actions and urban, economic, environmental, social, tourism and cultural policies for the preservation of the heritage of cities. The Ecuadorian delegation was made up of officials from Quito Turismo and the Ministry of Tourism. Paulina Arboleda, operations coordinator of Quito Turismo, participated in the meeting as a speaker, there she shared information about the work that is being done for the reactivation of the Historic Center of the capital of Ecuador.
 
During his exhibition, in the Sala San Subra in Toulouse and in the Municipality of Bordeaux, he announced the "Hands in La Ronda" program through which it seeks to preserve the traditional trades of artisans who live in this sector, the customs and the typical games of the city, in a participatory work with the residents of the neighborhood, in addition to improving accessibility and offering facilities for the arrival of visitors to this place.
 
The objective of the program, promoted by Quito Turismo, is to provide an opportunity for economic reactivation, improve the quality of life of those who live in the area, and preserve the heritage of the sector, characterized by houses from the colonial era. With this, in addition, it aims to attract more local, national and foreign visitors, through responsible and sustainable tourism in the area. Those attending the event highlighted the work that is carried out in Quito and recognized, above all, the actions to promote pedestrian zones in the colonial center of Quito, the inclusion of families -mainly with children- in the program, and the possibility of including technological tools that facilitate the visit to the historical zone of the capital of Ecuador.
 
Throughout the meeting, other topics were addressed such as sustainable tourism, heritage care and sustainable mobility, responsible rehabilitation of old buildings, risks and opportunities for public spaces, climate change, accessibility to historic centers, lively habitable historic centers, among others.

Among the commitments assumed by Quito, at the end of the event, is to implement technological tools to facilitate tourist visits in the Historic Center, continue with the work on universal accessibility and early childhood, and generate a sustainable tourism production laboratory aligned with public policy. mobility, public space, productive development, among others.

For its part, the French organization Sites & Cités will continue to provide technical support for the implementation of actions in the Round and the exchange of knowledge and experiences with member countries and cities.

Since January 2022, Quito, Cuenca and Loja are part of the French Organization Association of cities and countries of art and history and heritage sites (Sites & Cités). Through this instance, they participate in the project called "Heritage and sustainable tourism: a pilot project between Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Ecuador" that is financed by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that aims to preserve the heritage of the member cities to , in the later, be used by the tourism industry.