Volcanoes, lakes, beaches and jungles represent a tourist attraction for national and international visitors, as identified in the web audience conversations. The dry seasons, from November to April, favor tourism to places such as Lake Atitlán, Panajachel, Tikal and Semuc Champey (Alta Verapaz). In fact, the Department of Market Research and Analysis of the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (Inguat) agrees that the most visited sites during the Holy Week of 2024 were Antigua, Sacatepéquez; Retalhuleu, Quetzaltenango; Pacific beaches; Izabal; The Verapaces and Petén.
However, an elaborate study By Datalab pl And Goo reflects that interest in religious issues in the last five years has been lost in digital conversation. As of 2022, “there was an increase in negative feelings due to vehicular traffic caused by processions, by un notified closures and falsehood of parishioners,” says the report. Valeria Navarro, Head of Datalab Marketing Technologies, explains that they reached these conclusions thanks to an analysis of key words in virtual media and social networks, such as Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and Tiktok. Mentions in digital conversations were also considered.
The analysis information describes that these conversations originated in 38% by men and 62% by women. The average age of those who commented is 25 to 34 years, and they represent 38% of what is measured. The report maintains that the religious activities of the Major Week do not cause so much interest in tourists and, on the other hand, they prefer recreational destinations such as beaches, lakes and forests. This is especially evident in the study conducted by 2025, compared to the last four years.
The study
This mixes the amount of mentions and web content traffic. It is measured on a scale of one to 100 as an indicator of relevance of some special topic. The amount of mentions is measured in two ways: mention in social stream, that is, the analysis on social networks, while the mainstream refers to the issues discussed outside the networks, such as a forum, a news or blog. The “feeling” in this analysis is classified by language processing, which can identify whether a content is received negatively or positively by an organic audience, the report indicates. Meanwhile, the audience profile is determined by an algorithm where the classification is enhanced by IBM Watson data.
Tourist admission data in Guatemala were generated by understanding Inguat information, historically registered during the last three years; In addition, there was a projection for 2025. According to the Inguat Communication Office, in 2024, one million 209 thousand 622 tourists visited Antigua; 508 thousand 813, Retalhuleu; 381 thousand 413, Atitlán; 360 thousand 855, Quetzaltenango; 320 thousand 481, the Pacific beaches, and 155 thousand 19, Izabal.
Another important issue of the study is the origin of the main tourist issuing markets. For example, the report indicates that Central America is the main region of visitors, followed by the United States. In relation to the search for holiday destinations, the most desired are Panajachel, Petén and Monterrico. In an international context, Cancun, Mexico; Honduras; and Cartagena and Medellín, Colombia, sites that Guatemalans consider for a possible visit during the recess of the Major Week.
The data show that there are three seasons of increase in the reception of tourists: Holy Week, medium and end of the year. The period from July to August corresponds to summer vacations for American and European tourists, who enjoy a prolonged holiday during those months. Another season of consideration is December, due to the Christmas and New Year festivities that usually attract national and international tourists. They reflect to be the favorite era for international visitors. The audience studied believes that the reasons why tourists choose Guatemala as destination at the end of the year respond to the offer of a fresh climate and the availability by school vacations, which favor travelers.
What evangelicals prefer
When reviewing the specific behavior of followers of evangelical Christianity, the study finds that there is a need to use social networks to find songs of praise, sermons and prayer sessions. In the networks, points that have to do with fasting, devotional moments and the payment of tithing are also sought. These have different levels of interest, according to the social network and content consumption time.
On the Internet, users are 77% more likely to look for content on these issues instead of sharing or writing on them in networks or blogs. The main source of information is Tiktok, with a preference of 36%, followed by the web, with 25%, and Facebook, with 16%, among other ways. The analysis reflects that evangelicals seek praises mainly on Facebook and YouTube, since they are platforms that offer videos with extensive musical content. In Tiktok consume abbreviated versions and worship trends, while on Facebook they find live broadcasts and religious groups that share reproduction lists that facilitate the search for this type of material.
For preaching (sermons and biblical teachings), YouTube and Facebook are the ideal platforms to visualize complete exhibitions. In Tiktok, the content usually consists of short clips of shocking sermons or summaries of teachings. Another important data indicates that, in recent months, the community’s doubts have increased in relation to the reason for tithing. This uncertainty is geolocated in Santa Rosa, Izabal, Alta Verapaz, Escuintla, Petén, Suchitepéquez, San Marcos, Jutiapa, Guatemala City, Chimaltenango, Huehuetenango, Sacatepéquez, Huehuetenango and Quetzaltenango.
The community experiences a greater connection with its church when it has a environment of communion and support, participation in activities, quality and relevance of teachings, use of digital tools for faith and opportunities for service and leadership.