A change of direction was necessary for Guayaquil, main port and economic hub of Ecuador, to take a turn for the better in terms of services and infrastructure, and consequently in quality of life and incentives for tourism and investment. City authorities have succeeded in their 12-year effort to bring together the public and private sectors to achieve a common goal: reviving a city full of history, human warmth, and a tireless spirit for progress, making it the most populated city in the country. Guayaquil has a population of over two million and harbors 40 percent of Ecuador's industrial and business ventures.

"Investment is more than welcome here; the city of Guayaquil offers legal certainty," says Mayor Jaime Nebot who, separately from the rest of the country, is attracting investments through new tax breaks that can lower taxes up to 19 times for companies with new lines of business settling in the city. He also stresses that the dollar, as the country's official currency, invites long-term investment with no risk of devaluation. Nebot, recently reelected, is the most popular Mayor in Ecuador and credited with the urban transformation that has rejuvenated the city. He claims that his secret is to allocate 10 percent of income to expenses and 90 percent to public works and services. Of this amount, $30 million are spent in transforming the city, a seemingly never-ending project. He believes this is his way of creating a virtuous circle: tourists are attracted, more jobs are created and new investments pour in.

So far, the travel log for this project includes refurbishing the inner city and the buildings by the Guayas River, the city's birthplace, with its picturesque Santa Ana hill, with its 400 steps leading to bars, galleries, restaurants, and finally a towering lighthouse lighting the nights by the water. Other improvements include Malecon 2000, a modern pier with gardens, an Anthropological and Contemporary Art Museum housing over 50,000 artifacts and a valuable modern art collection, an art house movie theater, an Imax theater, malls and food courts. South of the pier is Palacio de Cristal, a metallic building dating from 1905 recently recycled into a convention center for events such as last year's Miss Universe designers fashion show.