Can you tell us a little about your professional career?

I'm an economist and I've conducted several research works on projects for the tourist industry. I've also worked as a consultant in several international organizations. I hold four degrees from different Ecuadorian colleges and I've put a lot of experience under my belt in the public sector by working in different official organizations and institutions. I've taken part in one of the most ambitious projects nationwide –the State Modernization Project- that was executed through the National Modernization Council, an entity attached to the Republic's Presidential Office. This is project bankrolled by the World Bank and aimed at structural streamlining, reforms and the strengthening of the country's major public organs. I believe I do have plentiful experience in several sectors.

How did you get into the world of tourism?

I lived in Germany some long ago where I attended both prep school and college. I graduated as a translator and interpreter. Then, I started working with groups of tourists, especially business travelers from Spain I used to escort to their meetings. That's how I got my first break in the realm of tourism in a very natural way. Back in Ecuador after 11 years, I began acquiring a taste for the beauties of my country and the many resources my land has to offer, and I decided to study economics. In my career, I put a lot of thoughts together to try to figure out a development model for my country, ways to improve living conditions for the population, and I jumped to the conclusion that tourism was the key to it. Yet, I wasn't diving head-on into tourism. A few years later, I embarked on a project I myself called Ecuador, A Transparent Mystery. This was nothing but an inventory of tourist attractions, information to build a Web site, detailed data on each and every region of the country, and specifics on all attractions, routes, roadside services, tours and so on. It was a very comprehensive project I worked on for approximately a couple of years.

My bonds to tourism were always in the private sector. The close relation with my uncle Pepe Tobar –probably one of the persons who supported tourism the most in northern Ecuador- kept my interest alive and kept me linked to the sector. I worked on many projects as a consultant, but I also served in the organization of travel agencies. Last year, I turned to the public sector, especially to the Ministry of Tourism, as a consultant for project coordination and foreign cooperation. From last December on, I started serving as Undersecretary of Management and Finances, as coordinator of projects and foreign cooperation.

My linkage to tourism has been permanent in the past years, sometimes in a more hands-on approach, but always steadily. On the other hand, because I've lived out of a suitcase almost all of my life since I was a little girl, due to both personal and working reasons, that much traveling has always allowed me to assess what each and every country has to offer.

When did you start your tenure as Ecuador's Vice Minister of Tourism?

Since last December. I was already working at the Ministry of Tourism as coordinator of projects and foreign collaboration.

How did tourism in Ecuador react in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S.?

Ecuador has sustained the consequences of the world crisis touched off by those developments, as well as the rest of the countries in the region. However, this is probably one of the least affected nations. There're some regions in Latin America that were hit a whole lot harder, especially up in the north.

Can you relate us the different tourist options your country has to offer?

Ecuador treasures a great tourist diversity as it counts on four huge zones or regions of tourism development. The Pacific Coast Zone is blessed with gorgeous beaches of white sand waiting for tourists that come to the country. The central zone within the boundaries of the Andean Mountain Range is marked by the Volcanoes Beltway, something that really packs a wallop. Few countries have that many volcanoes that can be toured and scoured close-up like Ecuador does. In the southern zone of the Sierra, you'll find another tourism development area, right where the city of Cuenca is located, a colonial-style town labeled as Heritage of Mankind by UNESCO. The city of Loja, another colonial town, is equally outfitted with a magnificent hotel infrastructure. The Petrified Forest, also embroidered within the central zone, is a very exciting area from a tourist standpoint. Its attractiveness lies in its exuberant vegetation and breathtaking waterfalls. In the same breath, we also have Galapagos, by far our best-known destination worldwide. This is a unique territory featuring an exclusive wildlife unseen in other regions. I think Ecuador is a country with a wide and varied tourist diversity. Its development potentials are full-blown.

Do you believe tradeshows like FITUR are necessary to both advertise and showcase Ecuador in the eyes of the European markets?

Absolutely. I'm truly convinced those meetings are necessary for the promotion of Latin American destinations in the rest of the world.

What communication and marketing strategies other than tradeshows and fairs are you laying out to promote Ecuador?

We're working in many fronts. First of all, in the domestic front with a view to create a top-quality and competitive kind of tourism. This is made possible through agreements, meetings and contacts with the private sector, local authorities and communities to guarantee a different approach and offer a top-quality and differentiated product. That's exactly what we want. There's another key factor and that's information. The Ministry of Tourism has built its own Web site containing useful tips and information on the country. There's also an inventory in place stacking the nation's premiere tourist attractions, plus a registration logging Ecuador's choices as far as ecological tourism is concerned. They will also be uploaded on the Web site. Another fundamental issue closely related to the different events to be held within the framework of the International Year of Ecological Tourism is the organization of a world seminar on this particular topic scheduled to take place in Ecuador. These are the promotional lines at an official level. The brunt of the specific and specialized advertisement must be borne by the different local governments and authorities, as well as by tourist enterprises, chiefly the tour operators.

What Spanish hotel chains are investing in Ecuador?

For the time being, Barceló is the only hotel chain in the country. However, there are others that have showed interest, too.

And as to airlines, what companies are flying to Ecuador?

Iberia, Air Europa and Spanair, the last two in connection with other air carriers because they don't have direct flights right now.

How do you juggle your job in the leisure industry with the other aspects of your personal and social life, your family?

Work is and has always been a key player in my life and in my personal development. So, at the very beginning I never managed to make my personal and social life get along well with my job. I've tried to juggle those many hats at the same time, yet I know there were many moments –especially when my children were small- that forced me to make a more strenuous effort and left me with almost no spare time at all.

Now that I've grown up, I don't give up on my spare time, my relaxation, my hobby of choice or my social relations. I don't neglect my children's attention, not with plenty of time but with qualitative time because they're now adults. Our vacations are sacred moments to share with the entire family. I do my job with a high sense of responsibility and efficiency.

I've tried to dedicate myself head over heels in the kind of activity that I do, and that provides lots of satisfactions.

Do you have any anecdote, a problem, a curious thing that has ever occurred to you and you want to talk about?

I've had no problems in the tourist sector. Sometimes people think that if you don't have a tourist business you can call your own, what you do is not important. Nevertheless, I've got my own consulting firm which is my own career, and that makes me very happy. My upbeat character contrasts with that of other agents in the sector who are always grumbling and mumbling about how bad they're doing in the business, despite the fact that they'd gained back their invested money in a short span of time.

The world of tourism means high-quality service. That's precisely one of the most attractive aspects to me and a reason why I work in the sector.