Wariness in Guatemala over assaults against tourists

A German tourist got killed as he was assaulted in a recreational center in the Guatemalan capital, the third foreign visitor who is murdered since last December. This situation is making tourist authorities in the Central American country scratch their heads and fear that crime could blur their efforts to develop that industry.

Spokespersons from the Guatemalan Tourism Institute (INGUAT) explained the victim was identified as Hanss Rinhard Ptietsin, 34, who died of a gunshot wound as he was whisked off to the Amatitlan Hospital some 28 kilometers south of the capital.

According to the police report, Mr. Ptietsin was accompanied by a Japanese citizen and a Guatemalan man who escaped uninjured from the crime scene.

The group was visiting the Santa Elena Barillas Watchtower by the Amatitlan Lagoon over the weekend when they were unexpectedly assailed by at least two wrongdoers. One of the suspects was detained later on.

The local police department reported that preliminary investigations conclude the perpetrators were unknown men who wore bulletproof vests and shrouded their faces with tucked-down beanies.

This is the third deadly assault against foreign tourists occurred since last December when a Mexican physician and an Austrian retired woman got killed as they took a stroll around major tourist centers in Guatemala

Tourism accounts for Guatemala’s top source of revenues. Last year, the leisure industry generated over $400 million with roughly 800,000 visitors.