Revista Científica Interdisciplinaria Investigación y Saberes
2022, Vol. 12, No. 2 e-ISSN: 1390-8146
Published by: Luis Vargas Torres Technical University
How to cite this article (APA
): Ortiz, C., Ortiz, C., García, R., Ortiz, K. (2022) Feasibility study for the
creation of a theme park on Ecuadorian chocolate, Revista Científica Interdisciplinaria Investigación y
Saberes, 12(2) 1-11.
Feasibility study for the creation of a theme park on Ecuadorian chocolate
Estudio de factibilidad para la creación de un parque temático sobre el chocolate
ecuatoriano
Carlos Andres Ortiz Chimbo
Ing. Docente Universidad De Guayaquil, Ecuador Carlos.ortiz.ch@ug.edu.ec, ORCID: 0000-0002-7701-2160
Carlos Rigoberto Ortiz Novillo
Msc, Docente Universidad De Guayaquil, Ecuador, Carlos.ortizn@ug.edu.ec, ORCID: 0000-0001-9513-4957
Roberto Andres Garcia Viteri
Mba, Docente Universidad De Guayaquil, Ecuador, Roberto.garciav@ug.edu.ec, ORCID: 0000-0002-6096-
9628
Karla Soledad Ortiz Chimbo
Msc, Docente Universidad De Guayaquil, Ecuador, karla.ortizch@ug.edu.ec, ORCID: 0000-0002-7432-8848
This project demonstrates the feasibility of creating a theme park on
Ecuadorian chocolate in the canton of Naranjal, which aims to
strengthen and improve the tourism of the canton and its
surroundings, through a novel establishment and family
entertainment. The idea was born from the importance of products
such as cocoa and chocolate in the economy of Ecuador and the need
for a new place that offers integration and entertainment to the
public, both national and foreign. Each chapter is part of an extensive
research and planning process, such as a correct market study, where
the acceptance of the project by the public and private sectors was
known, a marketing plan detailing strategies for each element of the
marketing mix, an organizational analysis of what will lead the
company to be formed and the respective engineering of the same,
showing the different areas that will make up the Chocolate Theme
Park. In addition, the financial analysis is included, where investment
values, income and projected cash flows are indicated to demonstrate
the viability of the project.
Abstract
Received 2022-01-02
Revised 2022-03-11
Accepted 2022- 04-04
Published 2022-05-04
Corresponding Author
Carlos Andres Ortiz Chimbo
Carlos.ortiz.ch@ug.edu.ec
Pages: 1-11
https://creativecommons.or
g/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Distributed under
Copyright: © The Author(s)
Feasibility study for the creation of a theme park on Ecuadorian chocolate
Revista Científica Interdisciplinaria Investigación y Saberes , / 2022/ , Vol. 12, No. 2
2
Keywords:
Chocolate, tourism, entertainment
Resumen
Mediante el presente proyecto se demuestra la factibilidad que tiene
la creación de un Parque Temático sobre el chocolate ecuatoriano en
el cantón Naranjal, el cual tiene como finalidad fortalecer y mejorar la
parte turística de dicho cantón y de sus alrededores, a través de un
establecimiento novedoso y de esparcimiento familiar. La idea nace
de la importancia que tienen productos como el cacao y el chocolate
dentro de la economía del Ecuador y por la necesidad de un nuevo
lugar que ofrezca integración y entretenimiento al público, tanto
nacional como extranjero. Cada capítulo forma parte de un amplio
proceso de investigación y planificación, como lo es un correcto
estudio de mercado, en donde se conoció la aceptación del proyecto
por parte de los sectores público y privado, un plan de marketing
detallando estrategias para cada elemento del marketing mix, un
análisis organizacional de lo que conllevará la empresa a conformarse
y la respectiva ingeniera del mismo, mostrando las diferentes áreas
que conformarán el Parque Temático del chocolate. Además de ello
se incluye el análisis financiero, en donde se indican valores de
inversión, ingresos y flujos de caja proyectados para demostrar la
viabilidad del proyecto
Palabras clave:
Chocolate, turismo, entretenimiento
Introduction
The canton of Naranjal is located in the south of the coastal region, in
the province of Guayas. It has an area of 2015 km² and approximately
70,000 inhabitants. It is a one hundred percent agricultural canton,
where its inhabitants are engaged in the cultivation of cocoa,
bananas, sugar cane, rice, coffee, fruit and trade thereof. That is why
Feasibility study for the creation of a theme park on Ecuadorian chocolate
Revista Científica Interdisciplinaria Investigación y Saberes , / 2022/ , Vol. 12, No. 2
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it has been given less importance to tourism, although Naranjal has a
great tourism potential that has not yet been fully exploited.
Very few are the tourist works that are catalogued within theme parks
in the country, such as the "Parque Histórico", the "Parque Temático
Ecológico Ecuador" or the water park "Planeta Azul". However,
Ecuador has the potential to offer more similar establishments that
promote and improve tourism. Simha et al., (2021)
For Bubnova (2015) this project offers a differentiated tourism product
within the Ecuadorian market, satisfying the needs of learning, fun and
family entertainment in one place. Innovation and creativity play a
very important role in its development, keeping it at the forefront so
as not to lose the prestige achieved and to maintain the quality of
service.
Thanks to the support currently provided by the National Government
to the tourism sector, it is possible for this theme park to be put into
operation.
The canton of Naranjal is considered a privileged land due to its
nature, its climate and the mega diversity of flora and fauna that
surrounds it. Cano & Vaca (2013) its climate and the mega diversity
of flora and fauna that surrounds it. The beautiful landscapes and
natural places that project this canton allow the recreation and delight
of tourists who visit it. When talking about tourism, Naranjal is a
destination that has been of great interest for several projects and
tourism research, because of its potential and the qualities mentioned
above, in order to contribute to tourism in the area and to publicize
the tourist sites it has.
In 2001, evaluations began to create the so-called "Ruta del Cacao"
(Cocoa Route), a rural tourism project for the canton of Naranjal.
Burgos & Rojas, (2013) In 2001, evaluations began to create the so-
called "Cocoa Route", a rural tourism project for the canton of
Naranjal, but due to the lack of interest of the inhabitants and the lack
of economic support from the municipal government, the project
stalled. Months later, the seminar "Sustainable Tourism: an alternative
for community development" was held, which was aimed at
communities and institutions that carry out local tourism, with the
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objective that Naranjal promotes community tourism and is the first
source of income for the canton.
The project of Pompeyo & Ramírez, (2015) years later, a new project
for the promotion of Rural Tourism was initiated, including several
farms with agro-tourism potential that had already been selected at
the beginning of the Cocoa Route project, and whose owners had
shown some interest in being part of it.
After several investigations, it was determined which are the official
tourist sites in the canton of Naranjal, such as the Churute Mangrove
Ecological Reserve and the Cerro de Hayas Protected Forest, as well
as tourist haciendas such as Hacienda "La Maclovia", Hacienda and
Rescue Center "Jambelí", and Hacienda "Cañas". All of them
promoted by the Ministry of Tourism and operators that offer visits to
these places to learn, in the case of the haciendas, the cultivation and
production of cocoa and bananas, important products for the
country's economy.
For Arias, (2014) the Cocoa Route plan is reactivated, which today,
continues to be promoted through fairs, agencies and tour operators
to attract the attention of the largest number of tourists who like
agrotourism. There have been no studies or projects on the creation
of a theme park, much less on the theme of Ecuadorian chocolate.
(Palomares-Cuadros et al., 2018 p. 180). This project could contribute
to tourism in the canton of Naranjal, provide a new entertainment site
and complement the current Cocoa Route, being another point of
tourist interest that demonstrates the importance of this fruit, and its
main derivative which is chocolate.
Several years ago, tourism in Ecuador did not have enough economic
support or the necessary promotion from the government institutions
in charge of this area. Even the crisis that existed in 1999 forced many
tourist establishments to close their doors and a large number of
people who worked in them became unemployed, causing the little
income that existed at that time thanks to tourism to end up practically
null. Over the years, the government of Ecuador has increased the
budget allocated to tourism, with the aim of promoting and
visualizing the country as a tourist power in the eyes of the world.
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The Naranjal canton, located one hour from the city of Guayaquil, is
a land privileged by nature and considered a traditional cocoa
growing area since the early twentieth century. This canton has a lot
of tourist potential that should be exploited in the best possible way;
the Prefecture of Guayas, in this sector promotes the "Ruta del
Cacao", for being one of the main producers of the so-called "golden
seed". This route offers visits to several places, such as the Manglares
Churute Ecological Reserve, the Cerro Las Hayas or the "Cañas" and
"Jambelí" farms, where you can appreciate the cultivation and export
process of cocoa and bananas. Despite this, a new tourist attraction
is needed to strengthen, complement and promote this route and
revitalize tourism in the canton of Naranjal, which has a quality
infrastructure and offers visitors a cultural exchange in terms of cocoa
to turn it into an exquisite chocolate, as well as entertainment for
domestic and foreign visitors.
The spending culture of Ecuadorians is to pay more for a foreign
producer instead of consuming the national product, since there is
the idea that the national product is not of good quality; similarly as
the country does not have theme parks or specialized, people spend
thousands of dollars to travel to other countries to enjoy these areas
of fun and family entertainment. Ecuadorians should know more
about what Ecuador is capable of producing and offering, as is the
case of the production and export of cocoa for the production of
various products including the main one, which is chocolate.
Currently, tourism in Ecuador has great economic support from
government institutions in terms of tourism promotion, generating
interest in foreign tourists to choose the country as a destination with
great tourism potential. Specifically, Ecuadorians in general are
inclined to novelty. If a new establishment opens, people feel the
need to visit it, since it would become the trendy place.
It is for this reason that, when opening the doors of this theme park,
it will arouse the interest of citizens and tourists in general, due to its
modern infrastructure and the concept that revolves around it. Its
strategic location in the canton of Naranjal is justified because it is a
canton with rich land in cocoa production and is surrounded by farms
Feasibility study for the creation of a theme park on Ecuadorian chocolate
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and people who are dedicated to the cultivation of cocoa; it is the
birthplace of the type of cocoa called CCN-51 (Castro Naranjal
Collection), named after its creator, the agronomist Homero Castro
Zurita, which is abundant in several areas of the Ecuadorian coast. In
addition, Naranjal is considered a link between the Coast and
Highlands region because it is located near the foothills of the Andes,
one hour from the city of Guayaquil and two hours from the city of
Cuenca, attracting visitors from both regions, and because it is one of
the main producing cantons, along with Balao, of this fruit within the
Cocoa Route.
A product such as chocolate is highly demanded and tasted by all,
even more so the Ecuadorian chocolate that is known internationally
and considered one of the best in the world, thanks to the excellent
reception it has had and which are made with 75% of fine aroma
cocoa, the best in the country. This is the reason for the striking and
innovative theme. Visitors to this theme park will feel that their visit
meets their expectations and will generate in them the desire to return
not once, but several times, increasingly improving domestic financial
flows and foreign exchange from tourists entering the country.
Due to the above, the project is feasible, and Naranjal will have a
representative and recognized icon at the local, national and, why not,
international level, improving its image and strengthening the
country's productive apparatus.
Palacio et al., (2012), y Gargari & Miranda, (2013)The objective is to
determine the feasibility of creating a theme park that unites
awareness and learning about cocoa and chocolate production in the
country with entertainment, generating income and mobilizing
internal and external tourism.
The feasibility study for the creation of a theme park on Ecuadorian
chocolate in the Naranjal canton of the Guayas province will
contribute to the socioeconomic development of the area, projecting
it as a tourist icon that should be visited.
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Methodology
The research method used for this project will be descriptive or also
known as statistical. As much information as possible will be collected
and processed in order to obtain concrete conclusions about the
acceptance or not of a chocolate theme park in the canton of Naranjal,
as well as to define what type of services and needs are required by
the market.
The primary sources contain new information resulting from direct
research collected by the author. For this project, surveys will be
conducted with several people within the theme park's target market,
and interviews will be conducted with people working in public and
private institutions related to tourism and cocoa and chocolate.
Secondary sources contain already existing information, organized
and elaborated, resulting from primary sources. For the project we
will resort to sources such as:
• Ministry of Tourism
• Ministry of Environment
• Municipality of Naranjal
• National Association of Cocoa Exporters (Anecacao)
• Internet
• Written publications (newspapers, magazines, books)
According to the WTO (1998), tourism supply is defined as "the set
of tourism products and services made available to the tourist user in
a given destination, for his or her enjoyment and consumption.
The services that the Theme Park will offer to the public are:
• Parking
• Sanitary Batteries for men and women
• Cocoa Museum: History of cocoa in Ecuador
• Chocolateria y Casa del Chocolate: Space for the elaboration
and tasting of chocolate.
• Space for Mechanical Games
• Space for Water Attractions
• Space for Traditional Games
• Food and Beverage Space
• Space for the Chocolate Fair
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• Outdoor theater for live shows
• Parade with floats and theme park characters
• Event room
• Souvenir stores
• Medical services
• Men's and women's dressing rooms and lockers
• Customer Service
• Exclusive transportation service to the park: Closed circuit
• Walkways, green areas, rest areas.
The entire offer presented is designed to meet the needs of visitors,
so that the theme park service generates positive results. These
services are detailed below.
Results
In studies such as the Ulloa & Ortís, (2016) market research shows us
that the majority, with 35.42%, prefer to travel outside the city in their
free time, followed by 26.56% who like to visit fun centers or family
entertainment, which would be very beneficial due to the fact that
they would indeed travel to Naranjal to visit this tourist establishment
with friends or family.
According to the research conducted to find out what people would
like to find in the park, it was concluded that the majority, with
46.09%, would like a chocolate fair, which offers all kinds of
chocolates and delights the palates of all visitors.
The market research determines that both medical service and
parking are requirements that people want to find when going to a
theme park, and that give them that sense of security they need, each
with a percentage of 25.78%.
The market research (Mora & Díaz, 2013 p. 73) The market research
determines that 38.02% of the sample prefer mechanical games
within a theme park, that is, it is necessary to offer attractions to the
taste of all ages, as well as to offer a good live show that delights the
attendees, since 25% like it.
According to the research conducted to find out what people would
like to find in the park, it was concluded that the majority, with
Feasibility study for the creation of a theme park on Ecuadorian chocolate
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46.09%, would like a chocolate fair, which offers all kinds of
chocolates and delights the palates of all visitors.
The research of Baigún & Ferriz, (2003) determines the type of food
that respondents will consume concludes that 44.53% prefer fast
food, followed by 33.59% who want regional or typical food. It is
important to take this need into account in order to know what type
of food and beverage establishments will be set up at the site.
The results on people's willingness to pay for the entrance fee show
that the majority, with 63.28%, would pay a price in the range of $15
to $20. The market research shows that 39.58% of the respondents
associate the price to be paid with the mechanical and non-
mechanical attractions to be implemented in the theme park,
followed by the infrastructure at 23.70%. Visitors expect to find
excellent attractions in a quality environment.
Conclusions
After the development of this project, the feasibility of the creation of
this theme park in the canton of Naranjal was demonstrated, which
will allow it to be projected as a tourist destination that should be
visited. Thanks to the market study conducted, a level of acceptance
to visit the theme park of 95% was obtained, which means an ample
attraction of clients, along with the acceptance in terms of the
entrance price of 63%. This is due to the fact that people are looking
for new tourist and entertainment attractions in Ecuador.
According to the economic and financial study, it is concluded that
the project is feasible, despite the high investment, since the Internal
Rate of Return is higher than the Discount Rate, which ensures a return
on invested resources. Being the only establishment that offers
services of this magnitude, it has the competitive advantage of being
the first over other amusement, entertainment and learning centers in
the country.
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