Ecuador, the Digital Divide and Small Tourism Enterprises

Abstract

This article explores the digital divide from the perspective of Ecuadorian small tourism enterprises. Ecuador’s ICT environment has been described as underdeveloped, obsolete, and expensive to use. There is also a serious shortage of ICT related human capital. Given these stumbling blocks, this article seeks to identify how small tourism operators have managed to adopt the Internet. Adopting a qualitative approach, field interviews were conducted with tourism enterprises across rural, semi-rural, and metropolitan areas of Ecuador. This article adds to our understanding of the digital divide, especially from the point of view of small tourism enterprises, and serves as an example to other small tourism enterprises in developing countries seeking to adopt the Internet.