REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AS A SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THE UNIVERSITY: THE CASE OF ECO-TOURISM IN THE TUNGURAHUA PROVINCE

The role of universities in regional development is reflected upon in the present paper, through the analysis of a particular case: the development of eco-tourism in the Tungurahua province, in Ecuador, through the Prometeo program of the Secretaria de Educacion Superior, Ciencia Tecnologia e Innovacion (Secretariat of Higher Learning, Science, Technology and Innovation) with the Universidad Tecnica de Ambato (Technical University of Ambato). The concept of university social responsibility is introduced in the implementation of participatory action research, in which the process of analyzing and proposing actions to develop, derive from dialogue and agreements between academic actors, and both public and private sectors. Conclusions suggest that developing eco-tourism, as a need identified for a shift in the productive matrix, requires a university to work, from its interaction with interest groups, as a catalyst of the interests of the different parties involved, and to prioritize participatory work, so that a comprehensive approach may be guaranteed in an interdisciplinary field such as tourism.