Guatemalan tourism reaped $497 million in 2002

Guatemala’s tourist sector wrapped up 2002 with a dropping flow of travelers compared to the year before, even though profits accrued to more than $497 million, according to Sandra Muralles from the Association of Tourism Operators (ASOPTUR).

Such events as the visit of Pope John Paul II and the canonization of Brother Pedro de Betancur egged on travelers last year who eventually wound up spending more money, Mrs. Muralles pointed out.

Nonetheless, tourist agencies are delving into the apparent contradiction within the sector in which tour operators, hotelkeepers and artisans in Guatemala and other developing countries remain trapped in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S.

Stats revealed by the Guatemalan Tourism Institute (INGUAT) point to $497.7 million worth of revenues between January and October 2002, up a striking 20 percent compared to $414.9 million chalked up in 2001.

The creation and design of the Pilgrim Route –pieced together in coordination with other entities- and the restoration of La Antigua Guatemala chipped in their own to make the colonial city the most sought-after destination in the country.

In Mrs. Muralles’ words, Central America’s image in the outside world kept up good approval ratings across the board, a situation that made a program on congress, convention and incentive tourism pick up some steam.

In the course of the first half of 2002, the picture couldn’t be any blurrier. Yet, the situation started getting better from October on, the same source added and forewarned about certain economic downturns in 2003 as a result of the upcoming elections in Guatemala.

A probe conducted by the Association of Social Research and Studies (ASIES) concluded that 521,179 tourists visited the country last year, compared to 491,848 travelers back in 2001. The same study revealed tourism is one of the nation’s premiere sources of revenues.

Fifty one percent of those visitors anted up hotel fares ranging from $11 to $40 per night for an overall occupancy rate that tallied 44 percent, the independent analysis points out.

Both in Guatemala and Central America, the leisure industry could snap back considerably well in the coming twelve months, depending on the success of an unprecedented initiative that will propel the region as a multi-destination paradise, experts averred.

The promotion of the Central American trademark could beef up tourism reception and lure international groups interested in taking a firsthand look at the reactivation of the Mayan World projects aimed at boosting Guatemala’s ancestral culture and that of other peoples in the region, Mrs. Muralles concluded.