Crisis spills over to Ecuador’s travel agencies

Nearly 700 mom-and-pop travel agencies in Ecuador were bound to shut down in the wake of new visa requirements levied by the European Commission on the country’s nationals. Erick Rugel, president of the Ecuadorian Travel Agencies Association, informed the new measure took its heaviest toll (350 small businesses in all) on the province of Pichincha that comprises the nation’s capital (Quito).

Other states hit hard by the regulation were Guayas (250), Loja (50) and Azuay (50). The travel agency business had bloomed in the past three years as a result of the double-migration exodus to Europe triggered by the economic crisis.