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In the last months of 2020 and in January 2021, interest in travel agency services and other tourism-related services began to increase, a rise that was most evident in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Through a system that monitors in real time changes in the interests and preferences of consumers in Central American countries, developed by CentralAmericaData, it is possible to project demand trends in the short and long term, for the different products, sectors and markets operating in the region.
The amount of visitors arrivals to Central America and the Dominican Republic shows a downward trend since 2016, which was consolidated in 2019 and worsened in 2020, a phenomenon that is explained by the events recorded in the extra-regional market.
Between 2015 and 2019, the countries of the SICA region, the average growth rate of visitor arrivals was 4.9%, where only in 2019 there was a negative rate of -0.2%, highlights a document of the Secretariat for Central American Tourism Integration (SITCA) published in January 2021.
According to estimates, hotel occupancy for the December 27, 2020 to January 1, 2021 period will be 100% in the Pacific beaches and in the destinations located in Lake Atitlan. This dynamism is explained by the trips made by local tourists.
For the last days of the year, the sector's union predicts that hotel occupancy will rise to 70% in Antigua Guatemala, 50% in Peten and barely 20% in Izabal and the Verapaces.
After the U.S. changed the level of the travel alert it issues for its citizens to evaluate the possibility of traveling to Guatemala from 4 to 3, tourism entrepreneurs believe that it is progress and that the country should focus on obtaining category 2 as soon as possible.
As a result of the covid-19 outbreak, which in turn generated an economic crisis, the U.S.
The risks involved when visiting a destination and the possibility of making reservations with less notice are fundamental factors that consumers will consider when deciding whether or not to take a trip in the coming months.
The outbreak of covid-19 in several countries around the world almost caused air, sea and land transport to disappear, as several governments decided to ban leisure and business travel.
After six months of closing the borders to commercial flights, air transport has been reactivated from September 18 with the arrival of four aircraft from the United States.
At the beginning of September, the Presidential Commission for Emergency Attention Covid-19 (COPRECOVID) had anticipated that the reactivation of operations at La Aurora and Mundo Maya International Airports would be carried out under the health protocols endorsed by health authorities and recommendations from International Civil Aviation.
The current scenario of reactivation of commercial flights and tourist activities, are an opportunity for insurers to increase their sales, since the hiring of a policy is a mandatory requirement for tourists to be allowed to travel.
Products that offer a refund in the event of having to cancel the trip due to illness, as well as coverage at the destination if the person becomes ill, both for medical expenses and for lodging in case a quarantine is needed, constitute a great opportunity in this context of the spread of covid-19.
The revival of national tourism was planned for July 15, but due to the current conditions of the covid-19 outbreak, the new date to allow tourism activities at the local level is expected to be August 15.
The spread of the virus forced the Guatemalan authorities to close the borders to visitors, ban commercial flights and restrict tourist activities throughout the country.
The lack of definition of the date when Guatemala's borders will be reopened causes uncertainty among local entrepreneurs in the sector, which is going through one of the most severe crises due to the covid-19 outbreak.
As a result of the spread of the virus, the Guatemalan authorities suspended commercial flights and closed the borders to tourists. In addition, tourist sites were ordered to be closed and the movement of people between departments restricted.
Adapting spaces in the restaurant area, selling themselves to tourists as a clean and safe establishment, are some of the strategies that hotel sector businessmen plan to apply in order to adjust to the new commercial reality resulting from the health emergency.
The spread of covid-19 has forced health authorities to restrict the mobility of people and to close several establishments, with hotels being one of the most affected.
Businessmen in Guatemala estimate that patients who visit the country with the aim of buying medical treatment will take between 9 months and a year to regain confidence in making the trip.
The sector is practically paralyzed, since due to the covid-19 outbreak worldwide, several countries have decided to close their borders and air terminals, and airlines are keeping their units on the ground.
New health and hygiene protocols in the establishments and the commitment to attract national tourists in an environment where short trips will be preferred, are some of the trends predicted in the new "normality" that will come after the quarantine period.
Given the quarantines decreed by most governments worldwide, it is anticipated that the habits of tourists will change dramatically in the short and medium term, as the crisis of covid-19 will leave consequences among consumers.
After the outbreak of covid-19, the government decided that as of March 15 the Yaxhá and El Mirador national parks in Petén, and the Semuc Champey Natural Monument in Alta Verapaz would be closed to the public.
According to the provisions made by the President of the Republic of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei and inter-institutional coordination with government entities, as a measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus covid-19, the decision was made to close several tourist sites, reported the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP).
Some of the most notable effects caused by the spread of covid-19 is the cancellation of at least 8,000 hotel nights in Costa Rica, and the interruption by Iberia of its flights from Madrid to Guatemala and San Salvador.
Businessmen in the region agree that due to the virus that has been spreading from China, supply chains have been interrupted, which is combined with a drop in the transit of people, causing losses to the tourism sector.