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.
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.
3.762 business meetings between wholesalers and businessmen in the region took place.
The event featured participation of 158 wholesalers and tour operators from 41 countries, 155 exhibitors from the region and 91 international media.
Laprensagrafica.com published, "This year, seven out of 10 participants attended the fair for the first time, this will open the doors to new business contacts, said Roberto Robles, director of the Guatemalan Tourism Institute (INGUAT). Next year's fair will take place in Panama."
The fair will begin on Monday October 18th with participation of 245 tourism wholesalers.
Countries like China, India, Japan, Russia, Turkey and New Zealand among others will attend the seventh edition of the Central America Travel Market (CATM), which will take place in Antigua Guatemala from the 18th to the 20th of October.
Elperiodico.com.gt informs in an article, "The fair also attracted 207 exhibitors and 111 international media ...
The Government decided to change its tourism strategy and focus on developing the potential of seven departments.
The strategy will begin on November 1 and the total investment will be $200 thousand. This includes hiring seven consultants for a term of six months to define the steps to be taken in the next three years, according to Luis Galvez of the National Competitiveness Program (Pronacom).
Central America has asked international credit organizations and related entities for a loan of one billion dollars to facilitate the development of micro businesses in the tourism sector.
The proposal was made at the First Central American Forum on Financing for the Tourism Sector that was inaugurated yesterday in Honduras.
The region is currently one of those areas with the greatest potential for tourism growth on the global scale, hence the support of the projects by micro businesses has been set as the main pillar for consolidating the isthmus as a competitive destination, said Ricardo Martinez, Honduran Minister of Tourism.