Tourism growth boosts development poles in El Salvador

The Historic Center of San Salvador, other areas of the capital and surrounding districts concentrate more than US$1 billion in investments, including tourist investments.

The Minister of Tourism, Morena Valdez, affirmed that new investments are being developed in the main tourist development poles of the country, such as the Historic Center of San Salvador, Zona Rosa and Surf City, in La Libertad.

This dynamism of the sector is a reflection of the flow of international tourists that have visited the country this year. According to data offered by the Minister of Tourism, Morena Valdez, as of last July the number of visitors already exceeded 2.3 million visitors who left the country $2,223 million in foreign currency, considered a record figure.

The investment and the massive arrival of international tourists is part of the “confidence”, deposited by businessmen and visitors in the achievements of the Government of President Nayib Bukele, mainly in the security issue, according to Valdez.

“The private sector has begun to invest with the conditions generated by the government of President Nayib Bukele in tourist areas. The great challenge is to attract new investments through other investors, who can share their experience in the country,” he added.

Among the main development poles is the Historic Center of San Salvador, which during the past August vacations received 650,000 visitors, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur). In the heart of the capital there are more than 65 projects that exceed $65 million in investments, according to the Planning Authority of the Historic Center of San Salvador (Aplan).

Among these are more than 10 projects focused on key sectors such as: lodging, restaurants and cafes that will start operations this year.

In this panorama, the high value areas of the capital, such as Zona Rosa, San Benito, Escalón, San Francisco and part of the districts of Antiguo Cuscatlán, Nuevo Cuscatlán and Santa Tecla, in La Libertad, concentrate most of the more than 40 construction projects that are currently being executed for values that exceed $1,000 million, according to data from the Planning Office of the Metropolitan Area of San Salvador.

Valdez also mentioned that other areas of the country are being developed, such as Surf City, in La Libertad, and other points in the east of the country that are becoming key for “local economic development”.

“With the Minister of Economy, María Luisa Hayem, Invest, and other entities we are working hand in hand to sit down with the entrepreneurs of the entire value chain of the sector, with restaurants, hotels, transporters, tour guides, tour operators, travel agencies, recreational sites, so that information flows,” added the spokeswoman.

She also explained that the Government is developing different strategies and allocating resources to facilitate the arrival of more investors to sites of interest. 

“Also from the Government of El Salvador we are working to make public tourism infrastructure and proof of this is what we are doing in the bank the operation of the loan of $106 million IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) in the east of the country, “said the head of Tourism.

Source: Diario El Salvador