Abstract
The economic situation faced by rural parishes in Ecuador is concerning due to the limited formulation of projects that contribute to creating opportunities to improve the living conditions of the population. In this regard, tourism can become an alternative for job creation and economic growth. The present study aims to determine the tourism potential of the parish of Seis de Julio de Cuellaje in the canton of Cotacachi, province of Imbabura. For this purpose, the methodology for the ranking of attractions and generation of tourism spaces from the Ecuadorian Ministry of Tourism (2018) was applied, and the multicriteria evaluation formula was adapted, which consists of dividing the score achieved by the attraction by the standard weighting of the evaluation criteria. Twenty tourist attractions were analyzed: three correspond to hierarchy II and seventeen to hierarchy I. The criteria of conservation status and site/environment integration, accessibility, and connectivity obtained the highest scores; however, their potential is medium. The scores of the remaining seven criteria are deficient, leading to the conclusion that the level of tourism potential of the territory is low. Public, private, and community stakeholders must work together to improve the conditions that currently disadvantage the territory as an emerging tourist destination.
