Tourism Ministry reports 3.9 million visitors through October and projects 4.2 million in 2026
Summary
Tourism Minister Morena Valdez said at the Turinnova 2026 International Tourism Congress that El Salvador counted 3.9 million international visitors through October and keeps a year-end projection of 4.2 million, Dinero.com.sv and Diario El Salvador reported. According to both outlets, Valdez cited the UN Tourism barometer in saying the country is Latin America's fastest-growing tourism market and the second worldwide, and compared 2.6 million visitors in 2019 with 4.1 million at the end of 2025. The event is at the Technological University of El Salvador (UTEC); Diario El Salvador says the central theme is artificial intelligence, innovation and regenerative tourism. Visitor figures are those reported by Mitur.
Sources
More coverage
Related
Ulloa: there is no trace of the four soldiers missing in Haiti to know whether they are alive
Vice President Félix Ulloa said in an interview with journalist Elena Berberana that the authorities have no information that would show whether the four Salvadoran soldiers missing in Haiti are still alive. "There is no trace of them to be able to determine whether they are alive or not alive" (our translation), he said, according to elsalvador.com. Ulloa said President Bukele keeps their rescue as his priority and that the Salvadoran mission will remain in Haiti as long as their whereabouts are unknown. The soldiers went missing on October 18 after an ambush by armed groups in Croix-des-Bouquets, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.
The Assembly ratifies an investment treaty with Argentina and an official-visa waiver with Kuwait
The Legislative Assembly on Tuesday ratified, with 59 votes each, two agreements signed on September 25 in New York. The first is a treaty with Argentina to promote and protect investment between the two countries, with rules on treatment of investors, transfers and dispute settlement; it aims to attract investment in agribusiness, specialized manufacturing and technology and logistics infrastructure. The second waives visas for holders of diplomatic, special and official passports of El Salvador and Kuwait; it does not apply to ordinary passports. The Kuwait agreement will take effect once both countries notify each other that they have completed their internal procedures.
TAG Airlines will open a direct route between San Salvador and Roatán starting December 1
Guatemalan airline TAG Airlines announced a direct route between San Salvador and Roatán, Honduras, which will start operating on December 1. The announcement was made by its commercial director, Francisco Pahul, at the close of the Second Annual Tourism Congress of the Salvadoran Chamber of Tourism (CASATUR). There will be flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and tickets are already on sale on the airline's website and through travel agencies. Outlets published different round-trip prices, so we leave the fare out.
The tourism sector closes its congress with a draft of ten priorities for 2027
The Salvadoran Chamber of Tourism (CASATUR) closed its Second Annual Tourism Congress on Tuesday, held on November 9 and 10 with Tourism Minister Morena Valdez taking part. Business owners in the sector voted during the event on the ten priorities they will propose for 2027. According to elsalvador.com, the draft includes training staff, improving service quality, opening new destinations, attracting visitors from new markets and easing access to financing, and it still has to be reviewed by CASATUR and government representatives.
Defense asks for $314.6 million for the Armed Forces in 2027; 85% would go to salaries and bonuses
Defense Minister René Francis Merino Monroy presented a request for $314,596,852 for the Armed Forces in 2027 to the Legislative Assembly's Finance and Special Budget Committee on Monday, November 9. According to his presentation, 85% of that money would go to salaries, bonuses and benefits for military personnel, and about $39 million to goods and services such as uniforms, fuel, maintenance and medical care. The minister said the homicide rate fell from 106 to 1.3 per 100,000 inhabitants by the end of last year and credited the government's security policy. "Our priority is to strengthen the capabilities of the Armed Forces so they can efficiently carry out every mission assigned to them" (our translation), he said, according to Diario La Página. The figures are the government's.