Guatemala achieved a successful tourism year with 11% growth in 2025

Guatemala closed 2025 with 3,361,843 non-resident visitors, representing an 11% increase compared with 2024, according to estimates by the Research and Market Analysis Department of the Guatemalan Tourism Institute (INGUAT), based on data from the Guatemalan Migration Institute.

This increase consolidated the performance of inbound tourism and translated into an estimated US$1,390.2 million in foreign-exchange earnings, reflecting the sector’s growing capacity to generate income and stimulate the national economy.

Domestic tourism also maintained positive momentum. In 2025, an estimated 27.0 million domestic trips were recorded, generating economic activity of Q54.2 billion, both showing growth of around 5%.

These figures confirm the role of the domestic market as a stable pillar of the sector, with a direct impact on local economies, employment, and productive linkages nationwide.

The comparison with 2024 reinforces the upward trend. That year, Guatemala recorded 3,037,282 non-resident visitors, US$1,208.7 million in international tourism receipts, 25.9 million domestic trips, and economic activity totaling Q51.4 billion.

The growth achieved last year significantly outpaced global tourism performance. While worldwide growth stood at around 5% and the Americas at about 3%, Guatemala posted an 11% increase—more than double those benchmarks.

The 2025 results strengthen the starting point for implementing the Sustainable Tourism Master Plan 2026–2036 and consolidate tourism as a driver of economic growth due to its ability to generate foreign exchange, employment, and productive activity across regions. INGUAT will maintain momentum through promotion initiatives, improvements to the tourism offering and visitor experience, and coordination with the private sector and local governments to sustain the trend and expand tourism’s economic benefits nationwide.

Promoting better air connectivity

INGUAT emphasizes that the priority is to turn this progress into orderly, sustainable growth with greater territorial impact, so that tourism’s benefits are felt more strongly in more communities—especially in emerging destinations and local value chains.

Last December, UN Tourism and INGUAT organized a high-profile round table gathering representatives from Southwest Airlines, Air Canada, Avianca, Flair Airlines, Viva, Volaris, WestJet, Wingo, United Airlines, TAG Airlines, as well as members of airline associations, the Guatemalan Chamber of Tourism (CAMTUR), the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (AGEXPORT), and the Convention Bureau. The meeting held on December 8, 2025 in historic Antigua Guatemala, served to consolidate Guatemala’s positioning as a competitive and accessible destination at both regional and international levels.

Opening the event, Harris Whitbeck, Director General of INGUAT, highlighted that air connectivity has always been a priority since the beginning of his mandate, “One of our efforts was to reach out to new airlines as well as those already operating in the country to provide them with inputs that would help them make decisions on frequency and routes. We truly believe in the power of connectivity to transform tourism, to accelerate economic development, and to open opportunities that would not exists without access that is solid, reliable and competitive,” he pointed out.

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