In this framework, Travel2latam had the opportunity to talk with Erika Guillermo, Deputy Director of Tourism of Guatemala.
What does Guatemala offer from the point of view of tourism, connectivity and infrastructure?
Guatemala is a cultural destination. Our tradition and closed culture goes back 3000 years with the Mayan Culture. We have archaeological remains that date back much longer than that, but it is truly our people, the tradition and the living culture in Guatemala that are our greatest asset. We have a lot of nature that we are trying to preserve and conserve. And we are working on the issue of sustainability from a tourism point of view, which includes the host communities, making them participate in tourism policy and issues, as well as companies raising their quality, working on quality training in services and also in the business registry.
What is your strategic vision?
Our strategic vision is to position Guatemala within the three main cultural destinations in America. We will do so by making known our tourist offer, which includes nature, but also all the small towns and communities of Guatemala. We have more than 23 recognized languages or languages. We are a multicultural and pluricultural country, we have more than 25 representatives of different ethnicities, and obviously that gives us that cultural diversity that everyone observes when they arrive.
We could say that they are in some way descendants of the Mayan culture...
Yes, there are all kinds of cultures, and this makes us a small but very diverse country. We preserve the biodiversity of the planet. 30% of the territory is a protected area and the idea is that these areas are managed so that they are available to tourists. There are national parks, a lot of nature, and we obviously have our archaeological sites like Tikal, which has been a world heritage site since 1979. And also Quiriguá, which is another Mayan city that is internationally recognized for its stelae dating back to Mayan history.
What are stelae?
The stelae are like totems, long figures, and in the Mayan territory they are of various sizes, but carved in stone in their entirety. Then we have Antigua Guatemala, which is a colonial city, which is also a world heritage site and where the modernity of hotels coexists, but in a space that is colonial. We have high quality hotels there. We have everything, the Pacific is two and a half hours from the city, we also have the Caribbean, which is a green, diverse Caribbean, with canyons, and it has a beautiful river, the Río Dulce.
Do you receive cruises?
Yes, both in the Pacific and the Atlantic. The port of Izabal stands out, which is the department of the Atlántico.