Economy
Given its central location, Ambato is an important industrial hub for Ecuador. Vehicle bodywork, especially for large transport vehicles is one of the largest employers in the city. In 2010, it was announced that Venezuela will overhaul the metal frames of almost 65% of their transportations and much of that work is to be done in Ambato. Leather tanning also makes up a significant portion of Ambato's economic output. Many of the leather goods are sold in nearby Quisapincha or exported. Other areas of economic development include textiles, glass fabrication, foodstuffs, and shoes.
As a transportation hub, Ambato also depends on small tourist sector. Though not charming or cosmopolitan as larger cities like Quito or Guayaquil, or as physically beautiful as smaller cities like Baños or Otavalo, Ambato possesses real attractions, including the modern cathedral and the Mera house. Tourists often use Ambato as a base for visiting nearby towns like Quisapincha or Píllaro. The Monday market also brings tourists and locals alike as the streets fill with food and clothing vendors. Many consider Ambato to be a quintessential 21st century Ecuadorian city: proud of its history, but eager to emerge as a leader in industry and technology.
Read more about this topic: Ambato, Ecuador
Famous quotes containing the word economy:
“The aim of the laborer should be, not to get his living, to get “a good job,” but to perform well a certain work; and, even in a pecuniary sense, it would be economy for a town to pay its laborers so well that they would not feel that they were working for low ends, as for a livelihood merely, but for scientific, or even moral ends. Do not hire a man who does your work for money, but him who does it for love of it.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The basis of political economy is non-interference. The only safe rule is found in the self-adjusting meter of demand and supply. Do not legislate. Meddle, and you snap the sinews with your sumptuary laws.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)