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Tourism continues to consolidate itself as one of El Salvador’s main economic drivers. Between the year and march 2026, the country recorded revenues of US$871 million from international visitors, which represents an increase of 19% compared to the same period in 2025. Authorities attribute these results to the increase in foreign tourists, driven mainly by public security conditions and international promotion. country.
The figures were highlighted during a series of meetings chaired by the Minister of Tourism, Morena Valdez, and the director of the Corporación Salvadoreña de Turismo, Alejandra Durán, with representatives of the Comités de Desarrollo Turístico (CDT), spaces organized by zones that bring together businesspeople and actors from the tourism sector.
According to the authorities, the massive arrival of international visitors is allowing hotels, restaurants, businesses and tourist destinations to reach high levels of occupation and economic activity. Between january and april this year, El Salvador received 1.7 million international visitors, advancing towards the government’s goal of reaching 4.2 million tourists by 2026.
During april, 470,000 people entered the surrounding country to enjoy different tourist destinations. Minister Morena Valdez highlighted that previously this type of figures was only observed in high seasons such as Christmas, which reflects the sustained growth of the sector.
“The idea of the meeting is a decision for us that we are busy seeing how we manage better our tourist destinations. We are the key to it”, expressed the employee during the meetings with representatives of the CDT.
Authorities noted that public security implemented in recent years has been decisive in positioning El Salvador as an attractive destination for international visitors. This has allowed businesspeople in the tourism sector to articulate efforts with the Government to strengthen the national offer and expand the number of travelers.
CDT representatives also highlighted the positive impact that tourism has had on different areas of the country. Álex Molina, representative of the CDT of Costa del Sol, stated that joint work between businesspeople and authorities has been key to maintaining sustainable growth in the sector, although he considers it necessary to continue investing in infrastructure and tourist services.
Manuel Lucero, member of the CDT of Chalatenango Norte, explained that initiatives such as Surf City have served as an impetus to attract international tourism to other regions of the country. According to what I indicate, in this area there have even been records of five completely full hotels due to the increase in visitors.
The director of Corsatur reiterated the call to businesspeople and tourist service providers to register with the Registro Nacional de Turismo and share promotions, packages and services that could be published on the official digital platform elsalvador.travel, with the aim of strengthening the promotion of national destinations.
With the increase in the arrival of tourists and the growth in foreign exchange generation, the Government and the private sector seek to consolidate tourism as one of the most dynamic economic activities in El Salvador during 2026.
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