Appearing in the interview program ¨Frente a Frente¨ of Telecorporacion Salvadoreña, the minister made an account of the results of the so-called leisure industry in 2024 and its important contribution to the country’s economy.
She pointed out, for example, that the number of tourists and excursionists exceeded expectations at the end of the year when December left a figure of 431 000 visitors, figure that has constantly increased in the last few years, together with the improvements in the country’s security.
He said that the United States, Guatemala and Honduras remain as the main issuers, while there is an increase of up to 19 percent from other regions of the world, especially Argentines, Colombians and Costa Ricans.
During 2024, El Salvador approached the goal of four million visitors by reaching 3,954,000 arrivals, most of them tourists who stayed more than one night in the country.
Valdez emphasized the importance of achieving improvements in the participation of the private sector in the supply of quality services, better prices and preparation of personnel to meet the demands of visitors.
She also projected to develop tourism hand in hand with the preservation of the environment.
Regarding projections for 2025, she pointed out that they seek to increase the numbers in order to exceed four million, and in that sense, she said, sports events such as golf, five international tournaments in the South starting in April, among others, are included.
In recent years, tourism has positioned itself as one of the main engines that drive the Salvadoran economy by contributing about 14 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
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