(Originally published on 19/Aug/2025)
In the logistical heart of the Guatemalan Pacific, a few minutes from Puerto Quetzal, the Special Public Economic Development Zone Quetzal Free Zone (ZLQ) has demonstrated that investment and development can move forward with firm steps and tangible results in a short period of time.
With barely a year and a half of operations in San José, Escuintla, it already has 18 active users in such diverse areas as vehicle storage and marketing, logistics, home appliance assembly and specialized services.
Access to ZDEEP Zona Libre Quetzal.
Today, 335,000 m² are in full operation, equivalent to more than 47 professional soccer fields, with an accumulated investment of more than Q250 million. “ZLQ is a cradle of industry and job possibilities.”, says Andrés Sandoval, CEO of the Zone. The figures back up his words: more than 530 direct and indirect jobs have been generated to date, and the number will grow with the arrival of new companies in the coming months.
More than an industrial hub, ZLQ has become an engine of social transformation.
In the local community, workers who used to work as bricklayers are now warehouse foremen or forklift operators, thanks to the demand for skilled labor and the promotion of new skills. “The most important thing is to see how progress reaches the people.”, Sandoval stresses.
The ZDEEP ZLQ is located 4 kilometers from Puerto Quetzal.
The strategic location of the ZDEEP Zona Libre Quetzal is key to its growth, just 4 kilometers from Puerto Quetzal, offering users a direct connection to international maritime routes, reducing logistics costs and improving competitiveness.
This, in addition to the special tax and customs regime offered by the ZDEEP,
makes ZLQ an attractive location for industrial investors,
commercial and services.
The ZDEEP ZLQ has generated new sources of employment in the region.