In this context, Travel2latam spoke with Harris Whitbeck, Minister of Tourism of Guatemala.
What are the objectives with which you come to an event like the ATM?
Coming from so far away and being the only ones in the region is important, it is a very clear message that Guatemala is open, and welcomes visitors from all over the world. We believe that the market represented here in the Travel Mart ranking is especially important because they are people who have traveled a lot, with significant purchasing power in general and who are looking for new experiences because they have already seen it all. And Guatemala for that is a perfect match.
What meetings or activities are you going to have in the next few days?
We have scheduled meetings with airline executives, the issue of connectivity is very important to us. In addition, meetings with senior leaders of Arab governments. We are focusing a lot on the issue of cultural exchange, which is a very important tool for tourism. We have several proposals, we also want to finish consolidating some diplomatic agreements that already exist between the government of Guatemala and the government of the United Arab Emirates that will help further promote cultural, commercial and tourist exchange.
Connectivity obviously plays a big role in all this, what is the situation with this region for you?
On the issue of connectivity, there is already an opening agreement with the United Arab Emirates, it is an agreement that must be ratified in Guatemala. This type of trip for Guatemalan tourism is important, not only to sell more abroad, but to internally encourage us to pay attention to the issue. So in the case of air connectivity, this agreement that already exists between airlines has to be ratified by our Congress. By coming here, we are already starting to activate the conversation a little about the importance of this region for our tourism, it will help us to encourage Congress to ratify these agreements that are important.
We are reaching the middle of the year, how do you see the tourism market in the country and what is the vision for the coming months?
It's been a little more than four months of management, and we have understood a lot about what has been done, what needs to be strengthened and what new things can be done to continue building. We have definitely misunderstood the markets to which we should be giving priority. We are finishing fine-tuning our marketing plans that are already implemented, because we acquired Big Data, that is the newest thing. It is a system that allows us to understand more precisely who visits us, and why. Then we can define our marketing strategies in a much more refined way, we can segment more, understand more which media interests us, and obviously we are concentrating much more on digital marketing than on traditional marketing, which is also a much more more effective in selling to the country, it is more efficient in terms of costs and also in knowing who to reach.
What are the five most important international outbound markets for you currently?
El Salvador, our neighbor, is the one that sends us the greatest number of visitors. The US follows, and then the European capitals. We believe there is much to do to increase the number of visitors we receive. Canada is a market that is increasingly interested along with European countries; Spain, France, Italy, United Kingdom and Germany. We are also betting on that through collaboration agreements.
Which destinations have the most demand in those markets you mention?
Guatemalan destinations, obviously. Antigua, the colonial city, Tikal and Petén. That is, everything that is nature, Mayan culture, ancestral culture and volcanoes. Guatemalan volcanoes are becoming louder and louder. We offer unique experiences, such as being able to climb a volcano and reach the top. Those types of experiences are pulling a lot. We want to bet much more on that, but always seeking a balance between attracting visitors and the need to preserve the environment, the surroundings, and to treat it with great respect for the communities that live there.
Speaking of communities, you welcome us here with chocolate. There is a furor today for the gastronomic circuits, for getting to know the farms and where both coffee and cocoa are produced, which for you is part of the national identity. What are the projects in relation to this?
This year Guatemala joined the International Cocoa Route, which will help us a lot to promote the gastronomic axis within our sustainable tourism plan. Cocoa, cardamom, coffee and vanilla are very especially authentic products in Guatemala.