Tourist exodus in Panajachel

Julio David Diaz Chay, guild leader at the Commerce Chamber Office in the Guatemalan municipality of Panajachel (Department of Solola) blasted the country’s Tourism Institute (INGUAT) and state officials for neglecting the tourist sector in this region, a situation that generates insecurity among visitors.

According to Mr. Diaz, local law enforcement agencies do not provide tourists with adequate protection and this carelessness has caused problems along the different routes leading to the Atitlan Lake. A case in point is the recent murder of an Austrian female citizen and multiple attacks against tourists reported in the region.