In order to achieve greater visibility of Guatemala as a Central American destination in the international market, the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (Inguat) recently presented the Strategic and Marketing Plan 2013-2017.
Pedro Duchez, Inguat director, said that this plan is looking for greater visibility to Guatemala and it will be based on the Internet to promote the country, to promote the sector growth.
Because of the economic crisis, the Inguat will decrease its activities and investments to attract European tourists this year. Instead the marketing programs will focus on countries where Guatemala was not actively promoted but that have shown steady growth – two of the more notable destinations will be Australia and Israel.
Duchez explained that Web applications are already completed and talks with Google executives have already begun. Working together, they are looking to devise a strategy that will take action on the Guatemalan tourism promotion front, based on the Inguat’s input.
Duchez noted that in 2012 Guatemala had about two million tourists, a figure they expect to grow 3.5% this year.
He said the growth forecast for this year was the suggestion of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), noting that their direct actions will contribute to the fulfillment of this goal.
According to Inguat the plan will focus on key markets such as North America (Mexico, USA and Canada) as well as others with more growth like Colombia, Chile, Brazil and Argentina in South America.