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.
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.
To encourage the arrival of more tourists, the Inguat will be investing the funds in a new advertising campaign, which will target the markets of North America, South America and Europe.
With the aim of reactivating the flow of tourists into the country, which suffered a slowdown after the disasters caused by the eruption of the Volcán de Fuego, the Guatemalan Tourism Institute (Inguat) will be implementing a campaign that will have a reach of 120 million people in the markets of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Using the Pura Vida Wellness concept, Costa Rica intends to take advantage of a global market valued at $563 billion, with tourists whose average spending exceeds 130% of global average tourist spending.
The aim of the Costa Rican Institute is to develop this segment, which has great market potential, in order to diversify and consolidate the country's tourism supply.Global wellness tourism grew by 11% between 2013 and 2015, according to data from Global Wellness Tourism Economy.
The average european tourist plans trips less than a year in advance and searches and books tour packages via the internet, without using intermediaries.
A study by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute to identify best prospectsfound that"... generally Europeans decide on their holiday destination less than a year in advance and in most cases organize their trips independently i.e., without using intermediaries. It was also found that the most used methods of finding information include recommendations from friends, search engines and online travel agencies and websites promoting the destinations.
Participating for the first time are Nicaragua and the United Arab Emirates as exhibitors, and buyers will be coming from Germany, Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Italy, Colombia and Sweden, and other places.
From a statement issued by the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (CCIAP):
International Tourism Expo, in its seventh version, will feature more than 150 exhibition booths, which will be displaying to national and international companies, working in different areas of tourism, in 3,000 m2 of the Atlapa Convention Center in the exhibition which will be held on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 May.
The promotional campaign announced by the government has been described as antiquated and lacking a proper communication strategy.
The campaign to promote the country, presented yesterday by the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (INGUAT), left doubts among tourism operators, who say it is outdated and lacks a proper communication strategy.
Bruno Mertins, manager of the travel agency Turansa, "...
The Guatemalan Tourism Institute plans to spend $1 million on online campaigns to promote Guatemala as a tourist destination.
According to Peter Duchez, director of the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (Inguat), as time passes Guatemala must be promoted online, as 95% of the decisions taken by tourists are based on the Internet.
Siglo21.com.gt reports that "Canada, the U.S., Mexico as well as El Salvador and Honduras are the countries where the Inguat will intensify its promotion of the country as a holiday destination.This will be done, without neglecting countries like Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Chile, which are the priority niches in tourism ".
With the European crisis and the fall in the number of visitors from that region, the Guatemalan Tourist industry is promoting itself in emerging countries and others where there are travelers with high purchasing power.
Pedro Pablo Duchez, director of the Guatemalan Institute, Inguat, spoke at the opening of the Travel Market, saying,
"We have identified that European tourists have restricted their trips and are traveling inside Europe which is why we need new spaces for promotion ....
Guatemala's hotel sector is concerned about lack of inclusion of the tourism category within the country’s investment promotion policies.
The first version of the National Competitiveness Agenda excludes the tourism sector, confirmed Jaime Day, director of the National Competitiveness Program, who said it would be added in the new version of the agenda.
The Guatemalan Tourism Institute (Inguat) has directly hired the firm Arnold & Porter to promote the country in six countries and attract investors.
The objective of the $575,000 contract is encourage countries to withdraw warnings issued to its citizens not to visit Guatemala.
Pedro Duchez, Inguat’s director, said "We looked for a company with the experience, the tenacity and enough connections to make a lobby, to try to mitigate the contents of consular documents and attract tourists."
The Ministries of Tourism in Central America have announced their intention to form a regional strategy to promote tourist destinations in the isthmus.
Reinforcing some intentions expressed in previous ministerial meetings, the government sector is proposing offering tourists the region "in one trip."
An article in Prensalibre.com reports that the chief executive of the Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism (Intur), Mario Salinas, said: "We are going promote on the website, in European tourism fairs, two, three, four, five countries (as a destination), and not promote Panama or Nicaragua only, we will encourage (them to come and see) Central America. "
Guatemala will reveal in one month time its National Tourism Policy, making the promotion of this activity a state policy.
Working on the proposal are the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (Inguat) and the Association for Research and Social Studies (AIES). The idea is to develop a national strategy for the sector’s development.
According to Elperiodico.com.gt the proposal seeks to guide the promotion and development of tourism products.
The initiative is supported by the participation of more than 60 companies in the tourism sector.
The 'Antigua Vívela' campaign seeks to highlight the values of the people living in Antigua, a popular Guatemalan tourist destination.
"The aspects of this city-brand that stand out are peace and cultural wealth, the urban and natural landscape, its traditions and its arts and crafts," comments the article in Elperiodico.com.gt.