Tourism and heritage. An integral plan for La Antigua Guatemala

Abstract

UNESCO requires to World Heritage Sites to make a protection planning, so the Government of the Canary Islands (Spain) financed a Master Plan for La Antigua Guatemala. The city was in crisis because population growth, increased tourism, increased traffic, lack of adequate protection of monuments, and environmental pollution, among other factors. From the beginning it was thought that the Plan was a good reason for a more general reflection on the methodology to be applied, because of the specificity of the case study and the lack of planning information and a reliable mapping.

On the other hand, since this text has its origin in a seminar on tourist regions and cities, we thought it is appropriate to revise and update what has been said about La Antigua Guatemala as a tourist destination –its challenges, opportunities and dangers. We add our proposal for a creative city, able to generate favorable impetus for the development of economic attractors activities untouched by tourism itself (which has already reached its limits) and predatory speculation of agricultural land that the Plan should help stop.