Meeting our members: Mr. Reniery Martín, Creative Tourism in Guatemala Director de Llatzer, www.llatzer.com. gt What is your definition of “Creative Tourism”? Creative Tourism aims to exalt a tourist destination in an innovative and creative way, emphasizing all those cultural and social aspects that characterize the country. The Tourist is able to interact with the activities that define the identity of a society, in a dynamic, funny and unusual way.
Could you please tell us about the Maya Textile Route? The purpose of “Textile Maya Route” is to develop a new kind of tourism in Guatemala, through the experience of many activities so that the tourists can learn different aspects of Guatemalan culture (for example, textile tradition, gastronomy, nature and society). Why choosing creative tourism? It’s a new way to race with the traditional tourist packages, so that tourists can know the country, but they can also go through the social, cultural and gastronomic context. What do you propose through the creative tourism program? It aims to increase awareness about the cultural importance of Maya textile tradition in Guatemala, as well as the coexistence with different native groups in the country. What have been the steps that led to the creation of this program? The most important steps in the creation of the “Textile Maya Route” have been: - The identification of the most famous tourist spots in Guatemala. - The identification of the cultural aspects that characterize the country. - The identification of innovative and creative activities, in order to make our offer more attractive as a tourist destination. - The identification of a customized itinerary for our target’s needs. What is your target? European and Asian tourists, aged between 18 and 60, of a high-medium socio-economic class. What are the good practices to develop a creative tourism project? To be able to meet the target expectations, Creative Tourism should highlight the concept of creating experiences through activities that promote learning, fun and even ideas that can generate business opportunities in the country of origin.
Translation: Maria Giullia Causa
www.creativetourismnetwork.org