The Azuay Forum will bring together experts and 'decision makers' of global tourism

The province of Azuay (Ecuador) will become, between 2 and 4 July 2026, the epicenter of the debate on territorial tourism management with the celebration of the Annual Assembly of ORU Fogar and a forum on tourism. The event will bring together international experts and decision-makers from Europe, America and Africa to outline new strategies for regional economic growth.

Under the title "Tourism and Regional Economic Development", the Sucre Theater of Cuenca will host one of the most relevant events of the year for intermediate governments and the global business sector. Organized jointly by ORU Fogar, the prefecture of Azuay and GLOCAL (Tourism and Economic Development Forum), the event was born with the clear objective to demonstrate how tourism can become the key engine for economic resilience and territorial balance.

The official session will reflect the philosophy of the meeting: a strong alliance between the political leaders who design the territory and the actors who dynamize the market. Beyond the institutional representatives of regions from various continents, the forum highlights the incorporation of key figures from the private sector and multilateral agencies who will provide a high-level technical and financing vision.

Among the program’s experts is Richard Campbell, head of the Culture and Tourism Section of the Organization of American States (OAS), who, with a track record of more than two decades in development economics, will bring the multilateral vision on international cooperation in the sector. Also, will participate Jaime Guazzini, president of the Federation of Tourism Entities of South America (FEDESUD) and leader of FEDETUR Chile, a prestigious engineer and entrepreneur with nearly forty years of experience in the private sector who will focus on the need for tourism to become a public policy and analyze the governance of regional infrastructures.

The Andean business perspective will be represented by Iván López Villalba, executive director of the Federation of Chambers of Tourism of Ecuador (FENACAPTUR) and former deputy minister of Tourism of the country, renowned lawyer and expert in legislation and tourist quality. They will be joined by Claudia González, a specialist linked to financing projects of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), who will focus his intervention on the binomial of sustainability, investment and analysis of macroeconomic data of the industry.

And beyond these international experts, the Forum will have governors as well as tourism managers from regions: from those who bet on gastronomic tourism such as the Basque Country or Manabí (Gastronomic Region 2026) to those who bet on nature tourism in Brazil, Chile or Côte d'Ivoire.

The presence of the Catalan consultant Alain Jordà, specialist in strategic tourism and author of "Local and Territorial Development, Guide for Politicians and Technicians", will provide a theoretical framework. With extensive experience in public and private management, Jordà advises regions on the design of territorial strategies that balance tourist success with quality of life and preservation of the destination’s identity. He is also general manager of KEDA, Digital Tourism Platform of Peru.

During the intense day of debates, which will be held in collaboration with UN Turismo, various working tables will be developed that will cover the global tourism agenda. The program will address the importance of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data in decision-making based on real market data, as well as the economic weight of MICE tourism, focused on congresses, conventions, fairs and meetings. The keys for financing tourist infrastructure at regional level will also be discussed and a special space will be devoted to gastronomy, where the local product is consolidated as a cultural attraction and a guarantee of rural development. Finally, the forum will analyze new business opportunities for young generations through entrepreneurship, closing with a session dedicated to public-private articulation as a fundamental axis for successful co-management of destinations.

The Forum will not remain alone in the debate, as the delegates of the Forum will have the opportunity to know on the ground the management of the patrimony through various alternative technical routes scheduled for the last day. These visits will include an immersion through the Historic Center of Cuenca and the Pumapungo Complex, a journey into prehistory and spirituality in the canton Sigsig with ritual closure activities alongside local scholars, or a hiking route to the Molleturo Paredones to directly assess the rock architecture carved into the western mountain range.

With the presence of actors from different continents, this meeting of ORU Fogar is emerging as the great global roadmap to set the rules for a smart tourism, decentralized and rooted in regional development.