Geographical, Ecotourism and Environmental Characterization of the Beaches of the Urban Area of the Canton Manta
Manta is one of the main coastal cities in Ecuador with the greatest tourist potential of sun and beach, which, over the years is one of the most prevalent. That is why the main objective of this work was to carry out a characterization of the main tourist beaches of that city from the geographical, ecotourism and environmental point of view, as a contribution to the knowledge of each of these spaces of tourist interest. The methodology used was based on the analysis of documentary review, as well as field observation and the use of an information record sheet. They also re-recognized with the application of geographic information systems (GIS) tools, which allowed to identify physical elements on the beaches and represent them cartographically. As result it was found that the beaches of the urban area of Manta have some weaknesses that have a negative impact on tourism, including pollution of its waters and its overall space. It is concluded that the beaches of the city of Manta have weaknesses in terms of conditions for tourism.
