El Salvador continues to rank among the fastest-growing global destinations for international arrivals, according to UN Tourism. This surge has encouraged more entrepreneurs to explore new business opportunities in the country’s expanding tourism industry.
Data from the National Registry Center (CNR) shows a significant increase in trademark applications related to tourism, entertainment, gastronomy, and food products, as well as in sectors such as hospitality, transportation, and recreation. As of September, there were 1,246 new brand applications in tourism and entertainment, and 1,780 in gastronomy and food-related businesses.
CNR’s Executive Director, Camilo Trigueros, noted that tourism has become the leading sector for new brand registrations in recent years. “The tourism industry is the sector with the highest number of new trademark applications and newly founded companies in the past two years, creating investment, employment, and development in our country,” he said.
Trigueros added that most of these new brands are linked to restaurants, cafés, and hotels. He attributed the business dynamism partly to the “security plan promoted by President Nayib Bukele,” which he said has created a more favorable environment for investment.
Tourism Minister Morena Valdez highlighted that the country now has about 3,900 registered tourism-related businesses, including hotels, restaurants, tour operators, travel agencies, and transport companies. “More than 41 percent of these businesses are located in San Salvador and La Libertad. The Historic Center is becoming a major destination for investment, with several private projects underway,” she said.
According to CNR data, most new companies are concentrated in the central region, followed by the eastern and western areas. By the end of the year, the institution projects the creation of over 6,900 new businesses nationwide.