Ecotourism is Guatemala

Guatemala is a country of developing status. Tourism is fast becoming one of the country’s major industries. There is a lot that the small country has to offer that other surrounding countries do not have. Much of the tourism that would be done in Guatemala would fall under the general category of Eco-Tourism. The types of people that would be attracted to the country are pure Eco-Tourists looking for an adventure that they have not yet experienced anything like. It is a unique destination, as it does not offer the usual sun, sand and surf. It holds more culture and nature based activities than it does relaxation. In its present state Guatemala is not a destination that your typical travel agent will be selling. It is not a place that you would choose to go on your regular yearly vacation. Rather it is a place where you would choose to go because of one thing in particular, whether it is to experience the culture, enjoy the geography, or study the people. However, it seems to me that Guatemala is catching on quickly to the fact that tourism is a huge industry and that their country can easily profit from it. I would not be surprised if Guatemala became the next Costa Rica, which is an ecotourism ‘hot spot’ right now.

First I’m going to discuss some of Guatemala’s strengths in terms of tourism. As I mentioned above, Guatemala is very rich in a unique culture that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. There are parts of the country that are very well developed, as we saw, such as Guatemala City and Antigua. However, for the most part the country has been left untouched by modern hands. A larger part of the population is still Indian as it was when the country was fist established. These Indians live in the hillsides of the country and are still living very much the same way that they have been for hundreds of years. On our visit to Lanquin, we stopped at a family’s home. Our tour guide informed us that this family was very proud because they had just received the pleasure of electricity for the first time. This quaint standard of living will attract many people to Guatemala. Almost all of the ancient tribes still dress in traditional wear, they still practice their same religious ceremonies and they live very primitively. This passing down of culture from generation to generation is very important in keeping Guatemala distinct from other destinations surrounding it.

Guatemala has some very unique forms of art, music and textile work. If a traveler were looking to study these forms in Guatemala they would have no trouble at all. The country is literally spilling with color, very rich bold colors that appear everywhere you go. Women of the tribes and villages still make all their crafts by hand. There isn’t a place in Guatemala that you can go and not have access to al these beautiful woven pieces. The men still play and sing traditional music. There are people everywhere selling their flutes, drums and shakers and they are usually playing them. These people are more than willing to talk about the music that they play. The art and carvings found everywhere are symbols of a past that will not be easily forgotten.

Another strength that Guatemala has that is very important in the industry of tourism is hospitality. Although we had some run-ins on our trip with less-than accommodating people, I found that for the most part almost everyone there is hospitable. Not only are they informative, they are welcoming and kind. I found no hostility towards Americans whatsoever. This is a big plus when it comes to the travel industry. Travelers need a security in where they are going. No one wants to travel to a country where they will be treated with hostility unless there is underlying motive. These people were more than happy to help us, teach us and learn from us.

Because Guatemala is still a developing country, in terms of economy and tourism, there are many forces present now that will help to push the country in the right direction. It is far more difficult to correct a country that has gone wrong than it is to start from scratch. Guatemala is scratch. There never was a tourism industry until recently. Activists will be sure to keep the country in line with moral rights. Environmentalists will be sure that the land and environment is treated with the utmost care and stability to ensure that the destination will be available to future generations. They will also be able to ensure that we can get the most from this place that we can without destroying in our paths.

Guatemala also as a developing country has many weaknesses. The first I would like to discuss is the cultural distance between Guatemala and other more developed countries. Amenities will be an issue in the Guatemalan tourism scene. Not just Americans, but most of the developed world consider hygiene to be a very high priority. Guatemala is not the cleanest destination you can choose. This will hinder the choice to travel there. Floors and ceilings are not up to most standards if they are even present at all. A towel after your shower is a luxury in some hotels in Guatemala, whereas here it is an expected necessity. Little things like this may not seem like much, but the little things add up. These little things will make a traveler think twice about Guatemala as a destination. The bathrooms are enough to make you wonder if you should ‘just hold it’.

This brings me to my next weakness for Guatemala and this is health issues. Sanitation is a huge issue in the country. Bathrooms are rarely cleaned; toilet tissue is left in buckets rather than flushed, among other things. Food is a huge drawback to their tourism segment. Food in Guatemala is not sanitary at all. Meats are left out all day in the heat, fish are piled high waiting to be purchased, fruits and vegetables are covered in bugs and flies hover over everything. Lettuce is out of the question because the water is not safe to drink and in some cases it is advised not to even wash your face or brush your teeth with it. This is definitely not something you want to advertise for your destination. From our group of students alone I would say about 75% of us (myself included) got sick at one point during the trip because of the food. And I’m told that these are good numbers!

Another huge issue that Guatemala needs to deal with is safety. As in any large city, Guatemala City is not considered the safest place to walk alone or at night, however even the smaller towns, such as Antigua and Chichicastenango have parts of them that are considered unsafe. This will not help their tourism. In our short stay of two weeks we had two students get jumped in Antigua. Granted it was late at night and they were walking alone, however incidents like that are not exactly the makings of a tourist destination. The incidents seem to occur only in certain parts of each town or city. These places are pinpointed as unsafe and not recommended to tourists at all. This makes for a bad name for the town or city and because Guatemala is not well known, it will give the entire country a generalized ‘bad name’. This will not make it easy to market Guatemala especially as an ecotourism destination.

The opportunities that Guatemala has as a destination include many of the strengths listed above. People will be attracted to its quaint, small town feel and its outdoors rugged feel as well. There are many plants and animal species that are indigenous to the land of Guatemala only. This will attract not only ecotourists who wish to see these rare forms but only botanists and zoologists who wish to study them. Because ecotourism is on the rise so much Guatemala has a real opportunity to grab a hold of the trend and make the most of it. The field of Eco-Tourism can create hundreds of jobs for the people of the country without taking away the natural beauty that they have preserved for all theses years. These jobs are much needed in the country of Guatemala where a job is rare enough, never mind a well paying job that is good honest work and helps the environment as well. The jobs provided will help the individual not only with an income but they will gain a sense of usefulness and pride in their homeland. At the same time they will be bringing in an extra revenue for their country. There is plenty of room for growth in the Eco-Tourism market of Guatemala; all that has to be done is to take advantage of it.

In my opinion the biggest threat to Guatemala is itself. There are a few sides to this statement. One thing that is a major problem in all ecotourism destinations is the simple fact that ecotourism as a concept defies itself. Ecotourism is the study of cultures and environments without disturbing or changing any such conceptions of the modern world. How can you view a plant without stepping on another to see it? This is ultimately the downfall of ecotourism. It swallows itself whole. The impact of concerned tourists is what will eventually ruin that which they are so concerned about. Fortunately for Guatemala this is not necessarily a weakness on their part, but on the part of ecotourism as a whole. However Guatemala as a destination needs to realize that this concept is a very real danger and there are ways to prevent or at least put off its consequences. This is where many laws need to come in and regulations need to be set. More important than setting the rule is to be sure that they are followed. This is where my next issue comes in.

Guatemalan government is corrupt. This is never a positive thing in the tourism sight. Once the laws are set they are not expected to be followed, especially not by those who set them. The police, government and military feed off of each other, to make things work for them with little to no regard for the locals and more importantly in this situation, the foreigners. Because of this activity, the country has gone through political turmoil for some years. It has only been less than 10 years since the country has not been in war with itself. Civil war is like repellant to tourism. Its dangerous, scary and nerve-racking, not what anyone is looking for in a vacation or getaway. The instability of the country is what has kept it from rising in the tourism industry. Guatemala is a self threatening destination because of this.

All in all I believe that Guatemala’s positives could outweigh its negatives, but only if the negatives keep being brought down. Ten years ago Guatemala wasn’t even close to a consideration as a tourist destination. Now it has hope. It has improved, come up from where it once was. As long as improvements continue to be made I believe that Guatemala has a very real chance at becoming huge and really profiting from tourism. Hopefully these profits will continue to help the country improve its tourism industry.