%0 Tesis de Maestría %A Matamoros S?nchez, Juan Sebast?an %E Peters, Karin %I Wageningen / Universidad Wageningen / 2015 %D 2016 %G deu %T Practices an Experiences: Transnationalism and Place Attachment in Residential Tourists in Cuenca Ecuador %U http://repositorio.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/handle/28000/2013 %X Residential Tourism is a new and interesting phenomena to study in Ecuador. As the last years have been witness of the aging of the baby-boom generation, economic crisis and the advance of cheaper and faster ways of travel and communications, more people in retirement age are settling in more affordable locations abroad. Ecuador has received significant media attention, positioned on the first places from the last 15 years in International Living Magazine?s ranking of ?world?s best retirement destination?. This has increased the number of retired migration from North America mainly. I coin the term ?Residential Tourism? used by McWatters to refer to this phenomenon. The objective of this study is to understand experiences and practices of residential tourists related to local traditional festivals in Cuenca, and how these experiences and practices relate to transnationalism and place attachment. A qualitative approach has been chosen to understand the meanings and outcomes, and the connections that such practices and experiences have in various aspects of life. Two methods were used to complete this study, semistructured interviews to 18 residential tourists in Cuenca, and participant observations during the festivals in order to complement and detect relevant findings not collected in the interviews.