Monday, October 15, 2007

Ecuador's Recent Extended Public Holiday Fails To Meet Expectations

Sources: El Diario and Ecuador public holidays. Early reports of tourism-related activity during the recent 3-day weekend are disappointing by all accounts. Recall that last June, the government officialized the practice of moving mid-week public holidays to the nearest weekend, to bolster internal tourism, and officially set the calendar of such movable holidays for the 2008-2011 period. This lack of tangible economic results may revive the debate as large parts of Ecuador's population are opposed to the moving of religious or patriotic holidays from their appointed date.