Guatemala: Heart of the Mayan World
Guatemala is a country that is home to 14 ecoregions and more than 8% of the planet's flora and fauna species. Its system of protected areas covers half of the territory and protects an invaluable natural and cultural heritage (CONAP, 2025).
This territory, considered the Heart of the Mayan WorldThe conservation and sustainable management with community participation has been recognized by the World Bank as an essential element for socio-environmental wellbeing. Conservation and sustainable management with community participation have been recognized by the UNESCO since 1990 as an exemplary model.
How to reverse the antagonistic society-nature relationship?
It has been more than 50 years since we were first warned about the limits of growth on Earth. The Brundtland Report (1987) introduced the concept of sustainable development, marking a starting point for international agendas. However, have we made sufficient progress?
The reality is worrisome: biodiversity loss is both a cause and an effect of climate change, generating challenges such as droughts, floods, desertification and natural resource depletion.
The COVID-19 pandemic gave us a break, an opportunity to reflect on our relationship with ourselves, with others and with nature. The invitation is clear: acting beyond sustainability.
Betting on regeneration
Regeneration proposes to reconcile society, nature and economy. It involves creating environments where communities thrive locally, out of conviction and in a healthy way.
There is still time!
Seeking the regenerative path in tourism
At La Mano del Mono (LMDM) we believe that tourism can be a driver of change. Since 2021, we have been involved in projects to identify activities, experiences and processes that transcend the paradigm of sustainability.
In Mexico, we contribute to the integration of Directory of Tourism Enterprises Moving Towards Regeneration (DINETUR, 2021 - 2023) and we have extended this experience to Guatemala, working with community-based tourism organizations from the Petén.
Flow Map as a tool
We replicated the Mexican methodology by applying the Flow Map of the Global Regenerative Tourism Initiative (GTRI, 2021). This self-diagnostic and design tool allowed us to identify four key areas of regenerative tourism:
- Identity
In Petén, identity is present in its jungle, its communities and its millenary history. Here, regeneration means working together with local people to strengthen their culture, their economy and their relationship with nature, inspiring changes that arise from their own values and goals.
2. Relationships
In this region, relationships are everything. It involves building bridges between visitors, hosts and collaborators, fostering respect for natural and cultural heritage. It is also about learning from local knowledge and ensuring that each experience has real meaning for those who participate.
3. Processes
Regeneration in Petén is built with concrete actions: protecting its unique biodiversity, managing waste well, supporting local producers and taking care of every corner of the environment. These are practices that, although they may seem small, add up to a huge impact for the territory.
4. Resources
Finally, Petén has invaluable natural and community resources. The key is to use them responsibly, combining community-based tourism with natural wealth and sharing them with the world in an effective way, including through social networks, so that the benefits stay in the region.
Lessons from other latitudes
Experiences in Brazil, Belgium, Australia, Argentina and Mexico show that the success of regenerative tourism is associated with:
- Ongoing citizen participation
- Collaborative planning
- Paradigm shift to the positive impact
- Prioritizing social over financial issues
- Results monitoring
- Joint work among stakeholders
- Political will with a long-term vision
Although each context is unique, in any tourist destination, the real change is in you can start today with our own actions.
Regenerative tourism in Guatemala is on the move. Many practices, born from ancestral knowledge, are already building a more harmonious future. What is missing is a clear and collective strategy to meet the challenges of the sector and multiply the benefits for people and nature.
Building a better destiny starts with what we do today.
Acknowledgments:
Community organizations participating in the study
- ACOFOP Network Holmul: Tourism and Conservation, Fruto Maya Ecotours by AMUL, Uaxactún: The Place that Marks the Time of OMYC , AFISAP Ixcalab, Bio Itza, Usumacinta Mayan Route - Cooperativa La Técnica, Jaguar Route - SCLB y Naranjo Sa'all of ACEP.
- ASODESTY Network. Park staff, AMFRUTY, Artisans, Boatmen, Seis Cielo Restaurant, Convenience Store, COINCY and Community Guides..
- Recommended by INGUAT. New Horizon y Ajaw Itza.
Local technical support and community liaison: Azucena Luna.
Allies and local managers: La Mano del Mono and its Market Ready Tourism Model, Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (INGUAT), National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP) y Association of Forestry Communities of the Petén (ACOFOP).
