Land at La Aurora Airport and take public transportation to the zoo in the same area, with a shuttle that will take care of your luggage. Travel to the Historic Center and continue the tour at the National Palace of Culture, the Railway Museum, and have lunch at the Central Market. Spend the afternoon in the gastronomic corridor of Zone 4 and the evening in the hotel zone or enjoy a dinner with wine pairing and contemporary Guatemalan dishes. All within a safe and signposted tourist corridor.

The example illustrates how the Guatemala city can be a hub of modernity and business, history and culture, urban nature and gastronomy, and nightlife, offering reasons to stay up to a week before visiting other attractions.

According to Inguat, the country received 3,037,282 non-resident visitors in 2024, of which 825,727 were concentrated in the Department of Guatemala, equivalent to 27% of the national total. The average stay was three nights, with a daily expenditure per person of US$105.46.

Domestic tourism also showed strength: 24,458,983 trips by residents were recorded, of which 2,261,285 were to the Department of Guatemala, representing 9.2% of the total. The average stay was two nights, and daily spending per person reached Q549.36.

Multi-destination city

Guatemala City has the opportunity to transform itself from a “stopover,” as defined by Fernando Pineda, vice president of Agexport's Sustainable Tourism Commission, to a multi-destination. “Tourists enter the country through the city because of the airport, stay in a hotel, and the next day travel to their next destination within the country,” he says.

Iván Azurdia, director of Tourism Product Development at Inguat, points out that to get to know the city and its attractions, you need from two nights to a week.

César Aguilar, representative of Polochic Travel & Wellness, confirms that, at present, tourists stay for two to three days maximum.

In fact, according to the Guatemala City Tourism Development Plan 2024-2028, in 2019 alone, the city received 2.5 million visitors, representing around 30% of all tourism entering Guatemala. Of every 10 visitors, six came from abroad and four were from other regions of the country.

The average stay of tourists in the city was two to three nights—similar to what tour operators report today.

Juan Pablo Nieto, international consultant on public policy and marketing and co-author of the plan in question: “The central problem identified: the city has all the attractions and cutting-edge offerings, but it is not well known or taken advantage of. We need to bring together what already exists to offer a robust package that makes people say, ‘I'll stay another day.’”

His vision is that a public policy that integrates airports, mobility, and security, combined with aggressive promotion of multi-destinations, could double the length of visitors' stays in the city.

Potential attractions

Azurdia highlights that one of Guatemala City's main attractions is the diversity of places where tourism can be developed: “We have sports, nature, museums, churches, gastronomy, and culture.”

Guillermo Cuéllar, owner and manager of the tour operator Descubre Guatemala, mentions that tourists interested in history will find a range of museums, which can be classified according to each visitor's profile. He points out that this profile is key, as it allows for the expansion of tourist offerings: “We have had complete tours of up to four days in Guatemala City alone.”

The operator believes it is necessary to integrate a joint tourism offering between public institutions—such as Inguat, Intecap, the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and the Municipality of Guatemala—together with the private sector.

Pineda agrees that it is important to create tourism products that integrate the city with other destinations and develop three- to seven-day itineraries.

Anayansy Rodríguez, an advisor specializing in tourism product development for the Municipality of Guatemala, says that when it comes to investments, they work together with cooperatives. Based on this work, they have begun to develop six districts of opportunity, each of which has a tourism focus.

Rolando Schweikert, president of Camtur, explains that tour operators used to use Antigua Guatemala to accommodate tourists on their first and last nights. However, due to traffic, the city is now increasingly turning to the capital.

Nightlife

Cuéllar points out that another opportunity offered by the city is its nightlife. He explains that, after a day of business or conferences, many tourists return to their hotels at 5 p.m., even though there are still places to visit.

The Historic Center at night is one of the attractions that experts believe can be explored. Photo of the National Palace of Culture. (Photo Prensa Libre: Antonio Jiménez)

“This is an excellent opportunity for public and private institutions, in partnership with hotels, to create tourist packages,” says Cuéllar. He adds that this initiative would generate economic benefits for the entire tourism sector, as it would include authorized transportation, guides, and the opening of spaces that are not usually visited during the day.

Cuéllar mentions that, although not a large number of tourists are received at night, a higher quality profile is attracted, the type of visitor that the capital needs. For him, nighttime activities represent a valid reason to extend the stay.

Azurdia,  indicates that it is necessary to improve the quality of convention centers. As he explains, this investment must come from the private sector or be managed through public-private partnerships.

For Aguilar, the first step is to coordinate with the authorities—INGUAT and the municipality—so that they have an office staffed by experts in tourism and visitor services. Then, begin promoting and marketing the capital as a tourist destination. He points out that an office is needed to develop the city as a major tourist destination in the country.

Gastronomic cradle

Aguilar highlights that Guatemala City has museums dedicated to Mayan and pre-Hispanic culture, international cuisine, and venues such as cafés, bars, and breweries that could be used to promote tourism. Schweikert adds that the capital has a vibrant culture.

The president of Camtur points out that executives visiting the city during the week are looking for restaurants that leave a lasting impression of quality. “Zone 4, zone 10, or zone 14. I think we need to take full advantage of this emerging culture; when it comes to gastronomy, we need to give it a lot of importance,” he says.

Cuéllar points out that the capital has a varied gastronomic offering that can be experienced in different ways: from street food, such as shucos, to restaurants, cafeterias, and fast food establishments.

Mobility

Schweikert believes that one of the main challenges facing tourism in the city is traffic. To ease this problem, Aguilar highlights the need for an efficient transportation system that, in addition to reducing traffic congestion, facilitates tourist travel.

Cuéllar mentions that the Municipality of Guatemala could establish a partnership to offer low-environmental-impact transportation from the airport to the city's tourist areas. For his part, Azurdia points out that it is necessary to develop a mass transportation system based on trains.

Rodríguez assures that new routes are being planned for Transmetro. “There is a new TuBus route from Zone 13 to the most central part of the city, which has allowed progress to be made on a strategic plan to connect the airport and make it easier for tourists to get around on public transport,” he explains.

 As for bike lanes, Rodríguez points out that these are in the planning stages, which would allow for the implementation of bicycle tours.

On the other hand, Cuéllar proposes that Inguat could provide support to students training to be tour guides, so that they can accompany visitors who are not traveling with a tour operator. This would enhance tourist safety and give future guides the opportunity to practice their craft.

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