Ingawat focuses on tourists from countries with high levels of vaccination and these are the countries – Prensa Libre

Tourism has been one of the sectors hardest hit by the coronavirus epidemic in Guatemala, so the authorities of the National Institute of Tourism (Inguat) are implementing strategies to safely attract travelers, as announced on Tuesday, November 2.

Since March 2020, when the first case of coronavirus was detected in Guatemala, the country has stopped receiving millions of quetzals due to the fact that tourism, one of the most important sources of economic income, has fallen dramatically.

However, time has passed and many countries have made satisfactory progress in vaccinating their population, so Ingwat is interested in attracting travelers from three countries and thus revitalizing the economy of this sector.

These are the United States, Mexico, El Salvador and Costa Rica, where vaccination levels are relatively high compared to Guatemala, according to Lourdes Maldonado, director of Ingoat.

“We are trying to carry out campaigns in three countries, but at the end of the year there will be four campaigns, the USA and Mexico. El Salvador and Costa Rica and we are working with these countries because they have a very advanced vaccination and it is clear that the level of confidence in both of them has gone up,” Maldonado said.

Maldonado added: “The question of how to reposition Guatemala, we have a country with a lot of nature, the mix of cultures is still important, as well as adventure. Guatemala is an important destination and at the moment it is very desirable because people do not want to visit crowded places and prefer nature.”

Last Monday, Guatemalan health authorities reported 43 more deaths from COVID-19, as the country has accumulated 15,137 deaths from the disease.

According to the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS), as of October 31, the country has accumulated a total of 601 thousand 657 cases of COVID-19, of which 581 thousand 127 patients have recovered.

Official statistics indicate that there are 5 thousand 384 active positive cases, and that 65% of the total deaths are men and the rest are women.

While the total applied doses amounted to 8 million 596 thousand 046, of whom 5 million 331 thousand 029 are from the first component and 3 million 265 thousand 017 citizens have the complete scheme.

Despite increased immunization against the virus, international organizations indicate that Guatemala is the country with the fewest number of vaccines used to eradicate the deadly disease.