Guatemala Tourist Board outlines new conference

The Guatemala Tourist Board, INGUAT, has announced plans to build a new conference centre in Guatemala City, expected to be finished by 2014. The Guatemalan government will invest between US$60-80 million in the new centre, which will occupy a space of 30,000-35,000 square metres at the current site of the Industrial Park in the capital, according to INGUAT director, Pedro Duchez. This new project aims to position Guatemala as a growing MICE tourism destination and attract more international conferences. There are also discussions about building a shopping centre and a hotel aimed at conference visitors, either within the conference centre or at a separate location. Duchez explained: “Altogether, we would be talking about an investment of up to US250$ million.” At the same time, the government is looking at improving the area’s infrastructure with new roads and a parking tower, to cope with the expected increased traffic, which could reach up to 20,000 cars. INGUAT estimates that the design for the new building could be ready by the end of this year, and that construction work will take a year and a half, so the new centre should be opening in 2014.