Cultural heritage potential as a contribution to the tourism development of Mon-tecristi, Ecuador

Montecristi´s cultural heritage potential is analyzed to determine the contribution to tourism develop-ment. Tangible and intangible cultural heritage is present in the parish and is part of the cultural identity of its population. The use of cultural heritage as an attraction to generate tourism activities, has allowed a better diversification of the offer and the creation of new tourist products aimed at a demand interested in knowing about history, culture, traditions and having more experiential experiences linking with the community, in turn, it requires an adequate management that regulates the tourist activity and promotes the development in the locality. Montecristi is characterized by having a cultural heritage that is still pre-sent in current generations, its potential is evidenced in historical, architectural, traditions and customs, all these, allow a cultural exchange. From a qualitative, quantitative study and bibliographic review, the information is collected to propose a proposal that promotes tourism development, where the recipient community is involved as the main beneficiary, since tourism development seeks to improve the quality of life of the population taking advantage of its resources and adapting the locality to provide tourist facili-ties [1].