About Guatemala

Monterrico, a small town in the Pacific coast of Guatemala, attracts hundreds of tourists every year in increasing numbers. The beauty of its black sand beaches and the incredible biodiversity of the mangrove reserve around it made Monterrico a top of the list destination among tourists from all over the world in a short period of time.

The little fishermen town just wasn’t prepared for the tourist boom experienced over the last decade and slowly became to grow chaotically. The Hotel Committee of Monterrico and the Guatemalan Tourism Institute were well aware of the situation. Last year they decided to change this and began a transformation that will improve the town’s infrastructure bringing positive benefits for tourists and locals.

Monterrico today has a new image and a brighter future. The main avenue and the sidewalks were paved, the dock restored and a promenade leading to the beach was built. Now gardens with palm trees welcome the visitors and the town is cleaner. The local restaurants inside the transformed area were benefited from the project too and renovated their business.

But the Monterrico’s improvement project is not intended to end here. In the future, the Committee intends to build an esplanade for the informal local vendors. The “comi-plaza” will be a Mercado-type plaza for temporary food stalls. The “one-day-visitor’s facility” will provide one day tourists with a place to shower and to get in and out of their beach clothes. Finally, the plans include a research center/museum where visitors can study the ecology of the region. The first steps have been taken to transform Monterrico into an ecological town where locals and tourists enjoy the natural beauty of the Pacific Guatemalan coast.