Most visitors come to Cuenca for recreational and cultural activities, study shows

The vast majority of visitors to Cuenca come to have fun and relax, a study by Cuenca’s tourism foundation reports.

Most foreign visitors to Cuenca are from the U.S. (El Tiempo)

Sixty-three percent of visitors listed recreation as the reason for their visit. The category includes cultural events, such as the as festivals and fairs, sports such as hiking and road races, and simply relaxation.

The other two top draws of the city were visits to friends and family, 15 percent, and business, 12 percent.

The study, conducted for the city tourism office by the University of Cuenca, found that those who came for recreational reason, were attracted by specific tourist attractions, such as crafts, food fairs, zip lining and extreme sports activities, and sports spectator events. A quarter of respondents listed the weather as an attraction.

U.S. citizens were the largest group of foreign visitors, at 35 percent, according to the survey. They were followed by Canadians, Argentinians, Colombians, French, Germans, and Brazilians among nationalities that visit most frequently.

According to tourism officials, Europeans are the fastest-growing group of foreign visitors.