El Salvador earns over $1.8 billion from tourism in first half of 2024

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By LatAm Reports Staff Writers

More than two million people entered El Salvador by June 2024.

International tourism injected more than $1,877 million between January and June 2024, the Ministry of Tourism reported in its latest report.

The quarterly report, published on July 5, shows that in the first half of the year more than two million international visitors entered El Salvador, marking an increase of 26 percent compared to 2023.

On average, each international tourist injected about $938.50 into the Salvadoran economy.

According to Mitur, daily spending per person was around $150 during the first semester, this figure rose compared to the first quarter, when it was estimated that each visitor spent $114.

It is estimated that each person establishes a stay of between two and three weeks in El Salvador, and that the United States is the country from which the largest number of international visitors come.

Demand

In detail, four out of 10 international tourists come from the United States, while 23 per cent reside in Guatemala and 15 per cent come from Honduras.

The report points to 54 per cent of tourist income during the first semester being made by air, while 46 per cent did so by land.

Mitur confirms that national tourism continues to grow. As of June, more than six million visitors entered tourist, cultural and public natural sites.

A report published by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) revealed that El Salvador is theLatin America’s third countrywhere tourism and travel have a greater share in the economy.

According to this document, the tourism industry, made up of international visitors and local tourists, left the local economy $4,950 million at the end of 2023.

These contributions represented 14.5 per cent of the estimated Gross Salvadoran Domestic Product for 2023.

Over El Salvador was Panama, with a representation of 15.2 % of GDP and Belize, with 30.8 %.

This article has been translated after first appearing in Diario El Mundo