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Manabí province’s two largest cities generated $20.5 million in tourism revenue during the four-day Carnival holiday, with Manta recording 90% hotel occupancy and the Mariana Fest alone drawing 60,000 people to El Murciélago beach.
Ecuador’s Interior Minister announced that the La Roca maximum-security prison in Guayaquil will be repurposed exclusively for female inmates within four weeks, while construction on a massive new 15,000-bed prison facility begins at the end of Q1.
The Ministry of Public Health invested in 92 laparoscopic towers for hospitals across the country, bringing minimally invasive surgery to previously underserved areas including the border town of Macará near Vilcabamba.
Reigning Miss Universe Fátima Bosch became faint on her float during the main parade at Ambato's 75th annual Fiesta de la Fruta y de las Flores on February 15. Whether caused by altitude sickness or exhaustion, the episode is a vivid reminder that Ecuador's highland elevations demand respect.
Ecuador’s annual inflation rate hit a 20-month high in January 2026, driven almost entirely by a 20.79% spike in housing and utility costs after the government ended electricity and diesel subsidies. Food prices are rising too — plantains have roughly doubled, and the basic family basket now costs $822 a month.
Ecuador's tax authority is sending notifications to taxpayers with unfiled income tax declarations from previous years — some going back to 2019. Recipients have just 10 business days to respond, and the SRI's seven-year review window means old oversights can surface without warning.
An 'urgent' efficiency law working through the National Assembly would force Quito to slash current spending and could eliminate 5,000 municipal positions. Mental health services, community dining, animal welfare programs, and even Metro expansion plans are on the chopping block.
International cacao prices have collapsed from a record $13,000 per ton in late 2024 to $3,581 in February 2026. Ecuadorian farmers now receive roughly $130 per quintal — down from $400 a year ago — squeezing margins in communities across the coast.
An international arbitral tribunal adjusted Ecuador's compensation obligation to Chevron downward by $5.7 million, landing at $215 million. The decades-old Amazon environmental dispute continues to drain government coffers in a tight fiscal year.
The U.S. dollar has lost ground against major currencies, creating a mixed bag for Ecuador's dollarized economy: exports become more competitive and tourism gets a boost, but import costs rise — and you'll feel it at the supermarket.
A man was shot dead by hitmen Friday morning in Manta's Ceibo Renacer sector, bringing the body count to 66 in 44 days. A separate massacre in Santa Ana marked the third mass-killing event in Manabí province this year.
The ACLED Conflict Watchlist 2026 ranks Ecuador among the planet’s most dangerous nations. Over 3,600 people died from organized crime violence in 2025 — a 42% increase — and 71% of the population was exposed to criminal violence, the highest rate in Latin America.
