The tourism statistics firm, Forward Keys highlighted that El Salvador had an increase of tourists by air of 39% during the first quarter of 2022, compared to the same period in 2019, the Government informed through a statement.
This trend in the tourism industry places the country at the forefront in Latin America, which continues to rise due to the efforts of the Government in conjunction with the private sector, local authorities indicated.
Regarding international arrivals, Forward Keys highlighted that the most visited destinations in the first quarter of 2022, with respect to January-March 2019, were El Salvador with an increase of 39 %, followed by Turks and Caicos Islands with 2 %; while Costa Rica dropped 9 %, Mexico registered a 6 % reduction and Dominican Republic with a negative figure of 4 %.
“This means that the country is receiving 39 % more international arrivals for tourism purposes compared to 2019, the year prior to the crisis that originated the COVID-19 pandemic in the sector,” the Government reported.
It also highlights that the country is among the only two nations that closed with positive figures (Turks and Caicos Islands 2 %) and that Latin America, in general, managed to recover more than the other regions.
“Tourism on a global scale is among the most affected by COVID-19 and its recovery is still a challenge. El Salvador shows once again its resilience and that only by working in an articulated way, as we do in the Government of President Nayib Bukele we continue to lead in the region,” said the Minister of Tourism, Morena Valdez.
The report highlights that in 2021, El Salvador registered 1.4 million international visits and income from this activity was $1,462.7 million, 82% more than what the Government had predicted.
Some projections to promote this trend to continue include the celebration of three international surfing championships on the Salvadoran coast and the arrival of three million passengers, motivated by tourism, through the new passenger terminal at the San Romero International Airport (San Luis Talpa).
“The Government has made investments of a strategic nature to stimulate tourism, with the infrastructure for Surf City, certification of establishments as biosafe, construction of two viewpoints and training for the communities, so that their inhabitants can provide the best service to visitors,” states the Mitur communiqué.
Meanwhile, this year the Government will focus on Surf City II with an investment of $100 million, in addition to other projects to boost the sector.
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