Influenced and influential: the role of tour operators and development organisations in tourism and poverty reduction in Ecuador

The development of tourism projects that could potentially contribute to poverty reduction in less economically developed countries (LEDCs) has brought forward new debates over the past decade. A number of recent studies analyse tourism’s impacts on livelihoods and poverty reduction (e.g. Ashley, 2000; Goodwin & Roe, 2001; Spenceley, 2003; Murphy & Roe, 2004; Tao & Wall, 2009). Tourism impact studies, however, rarely link up to broader theoretical discussions, which are important in understanding the underlying reasons for the “counted” impacts (Meyer, 2009).