The country has been overshadowed by its central American neighbours because of a turbulent political past, but Harris Whitbeck, director general of the Guatemala Tourism Institute, said the time was right for it to have a higher profile.
“We can’t deny it has had a reputation for a country where incidents have occurred in the past,” he said, admitting: “We need to change the narrative."
Whitbeck argued the country had a “blank slate” and could lean on facets neighbouring countries did not have. These include 23 different ethnic groups, each with their own language.
