From October 17th-20th Quito, the capital of Ecuador, will welcome more than 30,000 people at the Habitat III conference, the global summit of the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development.

The event is celebrated every 20 years and will be the first summit ever to be held in a Latin American city.

It is estimated that at least 193 nations will participate in this summit including heads of state, ministers, mayors as well as housing and urban development experts, international press and general public.

According to research conducted by Ekos, an economic social research and development consultancy firm, Quito should expect 18,000 international visitors and 12,000 national attendees, in addition to another 10,000 that will take part in various activities such as networking events, debates and seminars.

According to research, the summit is expected to have a positive impact on Quito’s economy and on tourism numbers.

Ekos has estimated that the event will result in revenues of $31.5 million over the course of the next five years thanks in part to a large tourism push and to the economic spends of Habitat III participants.

The research firm has also predicted that around 6,000 visitors will return to the destination to take part in similar conferences and visit the city.

In the run up to the summit, special attention has been given to the development of Quito’s tourism infrastructure including accommodation and transportation which is anticipated to have a positive impact on tourism demand to the destination and help to position the city as a successful host of global events.