In order to have access to the vaccine against Covid-19, the number of people traveling abroad by air has increased in Guatemala in the last months, being the United States the main destination to which Guatemalans travel.
Data from the Guatemalan Institute of Migration (IGM) show that in the fifth month of the year there was an increase in the number of people who decided to travel abroad, most of them in search of access to the vaccine against the coronavirus.
In Guatemala, the Pacific beaches located in the stretch that goes from the Iztapa bridge to the Los Esclavos river bar, attract millionaire investments in hotels and vacation home complexes.
Oceana Resort & Conventions, which began receiving visitors in November 2019 and other more recent developments such as La Mar, Villas Cariló, El Muelle, Blanc Monterrico, among others, are some of the investments located on these beaches.
Arguing that there is a risk due to the Covid-19 outbreak and that in some areas precautions should be taken due to criminal acts, the US advised its citizens to reconsider travel to El Salvador and not to travel to the other countries of the region.
In the case of El Salvador, the alert level is 3, which recommends its citizens to reconsider their travel.
In order to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, the authorities issued a Ministerial Agreement regulating tourist activities during Holy Week.
On March 25, the Ministerial Agreement 73-2021 of the Ministry of Public Health was published in the Diario de Centroamerica. This document specifies the restrictions to be applied during Easter Week.
Central America must be the driving force behind a globally accepted document that will be vital for the recovery of the global economy and tourism in particular.
The generation of a physical or digital document of global acceptance (like national passports) that certifies that the bearer has been vaccinated against Covid-19 will facilitate the movement of people that has been severely restricted as part of the measures adopted by governments, both locally and internationally, to contain the pandemic.
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.
When the pandemic began, interest among Central Americans in travel agency and other tourism-related services dropped significantly, and although it rebounded in mid-May, in recent weeks it has again reported a downward trend.
Through a system that monitors in real time changes in consumer interests and preferences in Central American countries, developed by CentralAmericaData, it is possible to project short and long term demand trends for different products, sectors and markets operating in the region.
In the context of the economic reopening, it was announced that as of October 15, Costa Rican air terminals will begin to receive flights carrying citizens from Central America and Panama.
Due to the covid-19 outbreak, air transport between Costa Rica and the other countries in the region has been interrupted since March. Seven months later, authorities removed the restriction and airlines will be able to begin operating these flights.
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.
When restrictions were decreed due to the covid-19 outbreak in the region, interest in travel agency services collapsed, but by mid-May the decline was reversed and all markets are already experiencing increases in interactions related to the issue.
Through a system that monitors changes in consumer interests and preferences in Central American countries in real time, developed by CentralAmericaData, it is possible to project short and long-term demand trends for the different products, sectors and markets operating in the region.
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.
Following the removal of some of the restrictions imposed in Guatemala by the covid-19 outbreak, the hotel sector reports a rise in occupancy, reaching a level of 25% on August 15 and 16.
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.
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