Sunset at Playa El Tunco. El Salvador’s tourism industry hasn’t just grown—it has rewritten the regional playbook. While neighboring countries are still recovering or advancing at a slower pace, El Salvador has managed to more than double its tourism revenue in just ten years.
According to the Central American Tourism Integration Secretariat (SITCA), no other country in Central America or the Dominican Republic matched El Salvador’s pace of growth. In 2015, tourism brought in $1.1 billion. By 2024, that figure soared past $3.4 billion.
This jump represents a 191.7% increase, translating into an additional $2.2 billion entering the Salvadoran economy. For a nation once known more for out-migration than inbound travel, the turnaround is historic.
The Dominican Republic took second place in regional performance. Its tourism revenue climbed from $6.1 billion in 2015 to more than $11.0 billion in 2024, a 79.4% increase worth nearly $4.9 billion in extra income.
Costa Rica, long considered the tourism giant of Central America, registered a 66.7% rise over the decade. Revenue increased from $3.2 billion to $5.4 billion, adding $ 2.2 billion to its economy.
Belize did not provide 2024 data; however, its decade-long trend still shows a solid movement. Between 2014 and 2023, tourism earnings increased from $386 million to over $642.9 million, representing a 66.6% rise.
Panama also reported growth, albeit at a slower pace, with a 42.9% increase. Its tourism income expanded from $4.1 billion to just over $6.0 billion during the evaluated period.
Guatemala’s progress was more modest, with a 24.5% increase that brought tourism earnings to $1.3 billion in 2024. Honduras followed with a 19.7% rise, ending last year at $802.4 million.
The only country moving in the opposite direction was Nicaragua. Its tourism revenue slipped slightly from $0.5 billion in 2015 to $0.5 billion in 2024, making it the region’s lone decline.
In a decade marked by economic pressure, instability, and shifting traveler priorities, El Salvador has emerged as an outlier—transforming tourism into one of its strongest engines of foreign income and setting a new regional benchmark.
