Five tourist destinations prevail as the most visited, mainly during the summer season. However, due to the poor state of the roads and the increase in the transfer time – which in some cases is doubled –the attention of visitors has diverted to other places, according to travel and individual operators.
Although the Pacific beaches sIguan being one of the main destinations, during this summer tourism is expected to move to other places that acquired relevance and strengthened after the pandemic.
Rolando Schweikert Rozotto, president of the Chamber of Tourism of Guatemala (Camtur), points out that South Tourist Operators are worried because The repairs are not concluded at kilometer 44 of the Palín-Escuintla highway. They expect these works to end before Easter, when the greatest demand is recorded in tourist destinations.
Following the inconveniences on that route, Many tourists prefer to visit Petén, Cobán, Huehuetenango and the east of the countrywhere there are farms that were adapted as restaurants and hotels, according to Schweikert Rozotto.
In Jutiapa, Chiquimula and Zacapa there are new ventures that were strengthened after the pandemic. “For repairs at kilometer 44, many people changed their destination,” he says.
Motorists have expressed in social networks that traveling to the south coast represents chaosthey must make long lines for hours to leave and enter the capital. The sinking in that section occurred on June 13, 2024.
The Camtur manager said that these results are according to the polls they have done with hoteliers and other tourist places, who indicated that in some places reservations of 90%are reported.
Another of the situations, according to Rolando Schweikert Rozotto, is that to avoid the jams, Tourists prefer to travel early or at night, mainly when it comes to organized groups that come from abroad.
“Times have changed a lot. Organized groups leave early; They no longer do it on Fridays, but on Thursdays or Saturdays. When they come in the afternoon, they are recommended to take advantage to know the city and thus avoid traffic, ”he said.
Schweikert Rozotto He hopes that this year more Salvadoran tourists arrive, Because the Guatemalan Tourism Institute (INGUAT) has promoted various campaigns to promote destinations within the national territory.
“Colleagues from El Salvador say they had not seen a promotion of Guatemala of this magnitude in their country and consider our country as one of the most important markets during the Agostinas festivities,” he said.
He added that, despite the inconveniences registered on the roads, the most visited destinations continue to be Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepéquez; Petén; Panajachel, Sololá; Puerto San José, Escuintla; The IRTRA of Retalhuleu and other Pacific beaches.
Difficult transit
Carlos Ramos, president of the Association of Tourism Services Suppliers of Antigu Municipalities of the capital, Mixco, San Lucas and Santa María de Jesús, are coordinated through traffic police, to make the most fluid traffic.
“The flow of vehicles is great here in Guatemala, but there are problems that can be solved if municipalities are inter -institutionally,” he said.
Ramos says that repairs at kilometer 44 of the Palín route, Escuintla also affects, Because heavy transport traffic through that town.
“Antigua Guatemala is not a heavy traffic route. However, they come here because the government has not made the necessary repairs and investments to compose that section,” he said.
He added: “The Association of Tourist Services Suppliers of Antigua Guatemala We ask that the government make the necessary investments to repair all the roads of Guatemala, Not only those who come from ancient. “
Ramos says that the expressions of foreign tourists, mainly from Central Americans when traveling among the traffic jams to reach the colonial city, are negative.
“What they say is that the traffic we have in Guatemala is ridiculous, ridiculous what we suffer,” he said.
Long times in a few kilometers
According to applications to draw routes and calculate transfer times, such as Waze and Google Mapsthe average time to reach the different destinations are the following:
- Antigua Guatemala on Saturday from 9 am 1 hour with 22 minutes if you travel along the route of El Manzanillo, Mixco. If the usual route is taken along the Inter -American Highway, the estimated time is 2 hours, due to the traffic that begins before the Mirador de San Lucas Sacatepéquez. The distance between Guatemala and ancient city is 38 kilometers.
- From the capital to Puerto San José, the trip lasts 2 hours on the Palín-Escuintla highway, on a 100-kilometer journey.
- To get to Irtra from Retalhuleu from the city, the route time is 4 hours along the route that passes through Mazatenango, Suchitepéquez, and 5 hours if it is traveled by the Inter -American Highway. The distance is 179 kilometers.
- From Guatemala City to Petén, the trip is 10 hours, whether the route that Zacapa and Izabal is used as if you choose the one that passes through the ranch, the progress, and Cobán, Alta Verapaz.
- The journey from the capital to Panajachel, Sololá, lasts 3 hours with 37 minutes and covers 107 kilometers if the Inter -American Highway is followed, by the jurisdiction of Tecpán. On the road that crosses Patzicía and Patzún, Chimaltenango, the estimated route time is 3 hours with 27 minutes.
Diego Fernández, president of the Sustainable Tourism Commission of the Association of Exporters of Guatemala (AGEXPORT), said that Tourism will be affected by the state of the roads.
“Unfortunately, the roads nationwide are not in optimal conditions, or not as the government at the time offered to have them,” he said.
Fernández indicated that this situation not only impacts the tourism sector, but also to the entire industry that depends on transport to bring merchandise to the ports and other municipalities.
The manager explained that repairs at kilometer 44 of the Route to the Pacific cause tourists to look for other destinations. However, the conditions to travel are also not favorable in other sections, such as the one that leads from Baja Verapaz to Cobán, Due to the excessive amount of burials.
“There are more than 80 mounds, it is almost one per kilometer, and that makes the journey last in approximately an hour or an hour with fifteen minutes. Towards Huehuetenango, the road is also in poor condition,” he said.
He added: “Then, people seek to go to other places, or prefer not to leave, or opt for sites closer to the capital, Because the same thing happens to go to ancient: they are like 2 hours in the vehicle. ”
He added that destinations have changed and that both Guatemalans and foreign tourists prefer places with gastronomic, religious or agricultural attractions.
“The private sector today is selling more experiences in places at a lesser distance. Because arriving from one point to another makes it waste a long time in the vehicle “he pointed out.