El Salvador continues to surpass its international tourism expectations as a result of the various social and legal security strategies implemented by Nayib Bukele’s administration. Yesterday, the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) reported that during the Easter Week period, with data up to March 31st, 132,000 international visitors entered the country, leaving behind a total of $106 million in foreign currency.
This figure, representing 6,000 more people than the government had projected, marks a 29% increase compared to the same period in 2023, according to Minister Morena Valdez.
“Tourism will continue to grow in the country, and the call to businesses in the sector is to always provide better service. Let’s ensure that this sustained growth we are experiencing is accompanied by being responsible tourists,” stated the official.
Additionally, she indicated that 32% of visitors came from Guatemala, 29% from the United States, 21% from Honduras, and 14% visited the country from various other nations. Of these, 68% entered by land and 32% by air, according to Mitur data.
On a local scale, 1.7 million Salvadorans visited public, cultural, natural tourist sites, and the Historic Center of San Salvador, reaching a 46% increase from last year. Public beaches, led by the tourist complex of Puerto de La Libertad, were the most visited during the season with 502,000 beachgoers.
In addition to beaches, the National Library of El Salvador (Binaes), Balboa Natural Park, open-air cinemas promoted by the Ministry of Public Works, and the recreational park of Lake Ilopango were also popular destinations.
The Ministry of Tourism also has data on tourists who chose to vacation in private establishments in the country, registering a figure of 2.6 million people.