On the heels of the Fuego volcano eruption earlier this week, officials in Guatemala are working to spread the word that the country is still safe for visitors and tourism zones remain open for business.
“The affected area is at a considerable distance from” tourism zones, Lionel Guillioli, director of LATAM, the media agency representing INGUAT (Instituto Guatemalteco de Turismo), said in an emailed statement to the press.
Nearly 200 people are missing and 75 dead as a result of the explosion Sunday of the Fuego volcano, according to the BBC. That eruption was followed by a second event on Tuesday from the same volcano.
According to recent news reports, more than 1.7 million people have been affected by the eruption and more than 3,000 evacuated.
The blast generated what’s known as pyroclastic flows, which are fast-moving mixtures of very hot gas and volcanic matter. The flow descended down the volcano’s slopes, engulfing some of the surrounding communities including El Rodeo and San Miguel Los Lotes, according to the BBC.
Guatemalan officials have since produced a video, that has been posted to YouTube, showing that tourist areas in the country such as Antigua remain safe. The new video includes numerous on-camera interviews with tourists currently in the country who express how safe they feel.
As each tourist speaks on camera for the video, they mention the date the interview was recorded, June 5, to reinforce that their commentary was captured after the recent volcano eruption. The tourist interviews are followed by commentary from Tourism Minister Jorge Mario Chajon.
“The main tourist attractions of the country such as Guatemala City and its historic center; Tikal National Park; Lake Atitlan; Chichicastenango; Semuc Champey Natural Monument…among others are away from where the eruptive activity took place and are in optimal conditions to continue receiving national and international visitors,” said Chajon.
Guillioli added in his email to journalists that tourists seeking to travel to Guatemala should not be concerned about their safety.
“We deeply regret what happened and we stand in solidarity with our Guatemalan brothers who have suffered,” he said, adding “It is very important to know that Guatemala is still standing and that we are all waiting for tourists get to know our beautiful Lake Atitlan, La Antigua Guatemala, Tikal and other destinations.”