El Salvador’s growing tourism industry has boosted passenger transport companies, helping them recover market share lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. Autobuses Cristóbal Colón reported a 35 to 40 percent increase in users in 2024 compared to 2023, mainly on routes connecting El Salvador with Guatemala and Honduras.
According to Josef Valdez, the company’s commercial manager for the Northern Triangle, this upward trend continues in 2025, with an estimated 35 percent recovery over 2024, strengthened by positive figures during Holy Week and August holidays. “The boom that El Salvador has experienced is very important because the overall climate in the country has also increased the flow from north to south, bringing in more tourists,” Valdez said.
On average, the company transports about 10,000 passengers per month, with Salvadorans representing roughly 45 percent, particularly on connections with Guatemala. “What we want at the core is for everyone to travel and for money not to be an obstacle. That is why we offer two comfortable, efficient, and safe options, both equally treated: the $20 economy direct service and the $40 luxury service,” Valdez explained.
In addition, in El Salvador the company has launched tourist circuit services aimed at promoting national destinations to international travelers arriving in the country.