Article 3:
The Guatemalan Tourism Institute is a decentralized state entity, with legal personality to acquire rights and assume obligations, and with its own assets, in accordance with this law.
Article 4:
a) Determine which places within the national territory have tourist appeal, in order to evaluate and develop them according to their importance, based on previously established priorities.
b) Cooperate with institutions responsible for the maintenance, conservation, exhibition, restoration, and study of Guatemala’s archaeological, historical, and artistic treasures, providing all necessary support so that these resources may be utilized in tourism development plans without compromising their integrity and authenticity.
c) Develop a domestic tourism plan to foster greater mutual understanding among Guatemalans as members of the national community, and to give them opportunities to appreciate the culture and beauty of different regions.
d) Promote traditional industries and handicrafts by supporting their development, helping to open new national and international markets, providing information to improve their products, and using advertising tools to increase demand.
e) Develop beaches, gardens, parks, medicinal springs, and recreational centers using its own funds, and collaborate with the respective municipalities in providing essential services and enhancing the beauty and decoration of these areas, especially when they are under INGUAT’s custody.
f) Build hotels or lodges, ensuring such construction meets the needs of national tourism in terms of functionality and aesthetics, and that the architecture harmonizes with the local environment, customs, and traditions. When INGUAT undertakes these constructions, they must be operated by qualified individuals in a manner that aligns with national interests and tourism growth.
g) Publicize the therapeutic properties of medicinal water springs, encouraging interest from both Guatemalans and foreigners to use them.
h) Organize or participate in international, national, regional, and local fairs, folkloric festivals, and traditional ceremonies.
i) Publicize the religious programs of the Republic’s most venerated shrines and the dates of major celebrations.
j) Order the construction of airstrips and access roads to tourist sites and request their implementation from the Ministry of Communications and Public Works.
k) Issue, with the prior approval of the Monetary Board and the Public Ministry, and in accordance with the requirements established by law, tourism bonds to finance self-sustaining projects such as hotels, motels, tourism centers, funiculars, and other projects aimed at boosting tourism.
l) Collaborate with the Workers’ Recreation Institute in organizing worker tourism programs, and with educational institutions in promoting school tourism. INGUAT, in agreement with hotel owners or managers, must set special rates during appropriate seasons to allow more low-income individuals to explore the country’s tourist areas.
m) Establish a tourism school in collaboration with universities and entities interested in tourism, open training and capacity-building centers for tourism personnel, and offer scholarships to Guatemalans who excel or have a vocation in the field to attend schools abroad.
n) Guide the organization and operation of associations, committees, and other entities created for tourism promotion purposes.
o) Register, classify, and inspect the operation of tourism-related businesses to ensure they can operate in the country.
p) Authorize, according to a category classification previously established by INGUAT, the maximum rates for hotels, motels, guesthouses, buses, and taxis dedicated to tourism, and monitor compliance. The classification may be revised upon request, taking all circumstances into account.
q) Create and maintain, under its strict responsibility, an up-to-date inventory of the country’s tourism resources.
r) Provide all requested information about tourist destinations, services, and attractions.
s) Print the road map of Guatemala with high quality and update it annually; publish brochures and guides with relevant tourist information as mentioned in the previous point.
t) Periodically launch promotional campaigns aimed at domestic tourism, encouraging Guatemalans to visit recreational sites in the country during holidays.
u) Impose corresponding sanctions on individuals who violate this law or its regulations.
v) Request that the Executive Branch place tourist areas under INGUAT’s custody.
w) Organize, in coordination with relevant or specialized entities, hunting and fishing trips in tourist locations, and promote the creation of seasons and competitions.
x) Promote domestic and inbound tourism by all means available.
Deja una respuesta