News & Posts

The PREIT-tour  research group, in collaboration with World Heritage City , has been awarded 🏆 the 22nd Call of the Vice-Rectorate for Research  with the project: “Unveiling the dynamics of short-term rental accommodation through digital platforms (Airbnb) from a multi-actor perspective in World Heritage intermediate cities: an approach to the Historic Centre of Cuenca.” The project will run from March 2026 to February 2027  📅 and will focus on analyzing the impact of short

📌 The research groups PREIT-tour  and World Heritage City (CPM)  have officially registered their policy paper  with SENADI  as intellectual property , under the title: 📝 “Cultural Heritage, Leisure and Tourism: An Analysis of Consensus and Disputes over the Use and Enjoyment of Public Space in Cuenca’s Historic Centre.” 🔎 This document offers a clear, evidence-based analysis of the agreements, tensions and conflicts  surrounding the use of public space in the Historic Cen

The project aimed to strengthen the well-being of non-local female students at the University of Cuenca who live alone, through a program that addresses emotional challenges, promotes healthy habits, and fosters cultural integration within the community. Therefore, the non-local students carried out different activities such as TOURIST ROUTES Through two unique tourist circuits, the non-local students explored and discovered the beauty of Cuenca’s urban nature and cultural ri

Case Study Description The project aimed to leverage the potential of sustainable development through tourism, supported by research-based education for the Global South. This is especially relevant for areas recognized by UNESCO as biosphere reserves or “living laboratories,” which nevertheless suffer from social, economic, and environmental imbalances due to inadequate policies, low professionalization, and a lack of innovation, while also being exposed to extractive indust

On Friday, November 28, 2025 , we carried out a new round of activities within the Warmi VIVAmente  project, this time fully centered on Christmas gastronomy . It was a hands-on, creative afternoon filled with festive aromas and a chance to connect with the culinary traditions of the season. 🎅🔥 👩‍🍳 What We Made With the support and guidance of our Gastronomy students, participants prepared: ⭐ Star-shaped Christmas bread , a soft, aromatic dough perfect for sharing. 🍠 Car

The Well-Being and Integration Program for Out-of-Town Students at the University of Cuenca , focused on psychosocial, tourism-gastronomy, and financial support , has officially been selected  for implementation from September 2026 to August 2028  🙌.This achievement comes under the 14th Call for Community Service Projects  from the University of Cuenca’s Community Engagement Office. 🎓🤝 🔗 Continuing the Warmi VIVAmente Project ComUnidad Vivamente builds on the foundation l

The PREIT-tour and World Heritage City research groups from the University of Cuenca actively participated in the REDU 2025 Congress, presenting two papers addressing urban transformations in Cuenca's Historic Center. 🏙️🎓 The first paper, "Learnings from Mixed Methods to Explore Heritage, Leisure, and Tourism in Cuenca’s Historic Center,"  was presented by Víctor Caldas F., Byron Alvarado, Mateo Erazo, and Shanaya Quezada. This work focuses on participatory methodologies fo

Last week, a mapping and data collection workshop  brought together students from Hospitality and Tourism  and Architecture and Urbanism , guided by professors Gabriela García  and Freddy Espinoza . The activity was part of the project “Balance Between Tourism and Heritage: Glocal Indicators for Urban Sustainability in Cuenca’s Historic Center,”  carried out by PREIT-tour and Ciudad Patrimonio Mundial 🌍📊. The session blended mixed groups from both disciplines, creating a tr