Guayaquil, capital of the Guayas province, is known as the "Pearl of the Pacific" by those near and far. The city's surroundings have one of the most important tourist potentials in the nation, seen through a wide span of tourist attractions that range from histoic or archeological ruins that can be appreciated in museums, to reserves or locations where one can practice fascinating ecotourism.

The most beautiful beaches of the country, endowed with a hotel infrastructure that can compete with the best in America, are substantially favored by the closeness of one of the most interesting site museums of the region, many of which allow the visito to appreciate the extraordinary antiquity of the people that prospered in this region more than 10,000 years ago.

Activities like recreational fishing, surfing, ecological exploration and sailing are some of the many that one can participate in with marvelous success in almost all of the coastal areas of the province. This goes without mentioning the incomparable cuisine whose best ingredients, such as innumerable varieties of seafood, are taken from the sea and brought to the table, to please the most demanding palates.

The city of Guayaquil, with the warmth of its people, its enchanting histoy and the thousand and one sites worth knowing, facilitates the possibility that tourist activities be combined with business trips, which is what foreigners frequently do when they arrive at Ecuador's largest urban area.

With its excellent business centers, the principal Ecuadorian port has a special charm, which is reflected in its parks, churches and monuments, all of which evoke a histoy equal to no other on the American continent.