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.
The Guatemalan government signed an agreement so that after a mission from the U.S. Federal Aviation Agency conducts an audit, a roadmap will be drawn up for the Central American country to be certified as a category 1.
The plans are for the U.S. Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) to evaluate the country's legislation, regulation, organization, personnel training, guides and manuals, certification and licensing, surveillance and sanctions, and aviation environment. After this inspection, a proposal will be formulated for the accreditation of Guatemala.
A drop in the flow of tourists to the region, cancellation of reservations and the suspension of flights are part of the expected consequences of the spread of the virus worldwide.
According to the report prepared by the Central Bank of Costa Rica called "Commentary on the national economy for February 2020", derived from the outbreak of pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus (coronavirus) is expected to report a negative impact on the influx of tourists to the country.
Dental treatments and preventive medicine are the services most demanded by tourists visiting Guatemala in search of medical attention.
Data from the Health and Welfare Commission of the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport), details that 40% of tourists demand dental services, 16% preventive medicine, 10% orthopedic, 7% cardiovascular and 6% plastic and cosmetic surgeries.
The rise of the Internet as a means of organizing and booking travel is generating headaches for companies in the sector, which agree that the strategy should be to focus on marketing complete packages in very specific market niches.
The difficult financial situation that the agency Viajes Colon is going through in Costa Rica is just one example of the problems that have affected travel agencies for several years.
During 2019, tourist arrivals to Guatemala increased 6% over the previous year; however, the average stay decreased slightly, from 6.63 days in 2018 to 6.56 days in 2019.
Figures from the Guatemalan Tourism Institute (INGUAT) show that in 2019 2,559,599 tourists entered the country, a figure 6% higher than the 2,405,902 visitors reported in 2018.
Taking measures to reactivate the productive sectors, make better use of public-private partnerships and boost tourism is part of what the private sector expects from the Panamanian government in the coming year.
Six months before the Cortizo administration takes office, Panama's business sector is asking it to make the decisions the economy needs to be able to continue on the path of development, and above all, not to lose competitiveness both domestically and in relation to its peers in the region, and to be able to continue to attract foreign investment.
Through a strategy that will be implemented in the coming years, the authorities seek to position the country as a gastronomic destination by 2026.
According to the National Gastronomic Tourism Strategy for the period from 2019 to 2025, to be implemented by the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (INGUAT), the country will work in four axes.
From January to September 2019, 1.89 million visitors were registered, a figure 6% higher than that reported for the same period in 2018.
During the ninth month of the year, a total of 161,891 visitors entered, of which 70% were tourists and 30% were hikers. Compared to September 2018, there was a 5% growth. The regions that showed an increase were Central America (8%), North America (4%) and South America (2%), reported the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (INGUAT).
In Guatemala, Congress is discussing a bill that seeks to increase the arrival of flights to the country through tax incentives for airlines, which would be coupled with the elimination of improper tax charges.
On August 14, 2019, the President of the Legislative Branch, Álvaro Arzú Escobar, presented to Congress initiative 5585, which has the support of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) and the Guatemalan Association of Air Lines (AGLA). See full bill.
Between the first half of 2018 and the same period in 2019, the number of hotel rooms in the country grew 4%, and occupancy rose from 62.9% to 63.4%.
Official figures specify that between January and June last year and the first half of 2019, in the hotel sector the number of establishments went from 3,315 to 3,524, and in the case of the number of rooms went from 55,735 to 58,024.
The airline filed a demand arguing that the entity owes it payments for advertising services provided in 2018.
The Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (INGUAT) and the company Wamos Air, signed a cooperation agreement to promote the country as a tourist destination during 2017, which was extended to 2018.
Juan Antonio Tarjuelo, representative of the press office of Wamos Air, assured Prensalibre.com that "...
For the end of 2019, is scheduled the inauguration of Oceana Resort, a hotel complex that will offer 200 rooms and is located on the beach of Iztapa, department of Escuintla.
Oceana Resort + Conventions will be a hotel that will have a total of 22 thousand square meters of construction and will operate under the format of "all-inclusive". The building is located at kilometer 6 of the road from Iztapa to Monterrico.