Central America
El Salvador is the first country in the Americas in terms of tourism growth
September 26 |
The momentum of the Salvadoran waves was the beginning of an unprecedented tourism takeoff in the history of El Salvador, which was consolidated at the close of 2022 with more than 2.5 million international visitor arrivals, a figure that even surpassed the dynamics that the country maintained in 2019 before the COVID- 19 pandemic.
The country’s good performance attributed to the Surf City anchor strategy, international positioning actions, the potential of tourist destinations, the positive figure of President Nayib Bukele in the world, and state security strategies implemented through the Territorial Control Plan (PTC) were reflected in the latest measurement of the World Tourism Barometer of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
The projection of international visitors by the end of 2023 is 2.9 million. Photo: El Salvador Newspaper.
The measurement reflected that El Salvador is the fourth nation in the world with the best performance in the growth of international tourist arrivals with 32% until July 2023, compared to what it registered in the same period of 2019.
The country is only behind the dynamics reflected by nations such as Qatar, which reports an increase of 95 %; Saudi Arabia with 58 %; and Albania with 56 %, when compared to its pre-pandemic metrics.
In this order, El Salvador also becomes the country with the best performance in the American continent and the Western Hemisphere surpassing important destinations and countries of tourist tradition, noted President Bukele through the social network X, formerly Twitter.
“El Salvador is the fourth country with the highest tourism growth in the world and the destination that has grown the most in the entire Western Hemisphere,” the president celebrated.
The new security conditions have been an incentive to attract more foreigners to visit El Salvador. Photo: El Salvador Newspaper.
The list also highlights the performance of Andorra whose reception of international tourists increased by 31%; Armenia with 30%; Ethiopia with 28%; Colombia and Jordan with 23%; U.S. Virgin Islands with 22%; Tanzania and Liechtenstein with 19%; Curacao with 18%; while Honduras and Dominican Republic grew by 17%.
The barometer highlights that international tourism has continued to recover from the worst crisis in its history, as overall international tourist arrivals reached 84 % of pre-pandemic levels between January and July this year.
“By the end of July, international tourist arrivals reached 84% of pre-pandemic levels and 700 million tourists traveled internationally between January and July 2023, up 43% from the same months in 2022,” UNWTO noted.
At the beginning of this year, Mitur estimated that by 2023 more than 2.9 million foreign visitors would enter the national territory, however, data closed up to August account for more than 2.2 million arrivals, and a greater boom is expected with events such as: the Miss Universe pageant, scheduled for November; and two surfing championships in the months of September and November, among other activities.
“According to our projections we are not going to have any low season month, but rather visitors are going to keep coming thanks to surf tournaments, business events and the Miss Universe that is scheduled for the end of the year”, commented the Minister of Tourism, Morena Valdez, recently.
Meanwhile, the foreign exchange projection for the end of the year is $2.9 billion, and up to August the registered spill over was $2.1 billion in tourism dynamics.
Central America
El Salvador and Chile Mark 150 Years of Relations With Expanded Bilateral Cooperation
El Salvador and Chile are strengthening their diplomatic and cooperation ties through the official visit of Salvadoran Deputy Foreign Minister Adriana Mira to the South American country.
The purpose of the visit is to expand economic exchanges, promote new cooperation opportunities, and strengthen the bonds of friendship between both nations, according to El Salvador’s Foreign Ministry.
During her visit, Mira held a meeting with her Chilean counterpart, Patricio Torres, where they discussed issues of common interest and actions aimed at further advancing bilateral relations.
The agenda included initiatives to promote trade, encourage investment in strategic sectors, and strengthen joint efforts in different areas of cooperation.
As part of this process, both countries are preparing the 5th Meeting of the Joint Commission for Technical and Scientific Cooperation, where they are expected to establish a new framework for bilateral collaboration aimed at creating mutual benefits.
The meeting also carried a historic significance, as El Salvador and Chile are commemorating 150 years of diplomatic relations in 2026.
Representatives from both governments highlighted the importance of continuing to deepen their ties of friendship and cooperation to support shared development goals.
El Salvador’s Foreign Ministry emphasized that the relationship between both countries seeks to advance greater economic, commercial, and technical integration while taking advantage of new opportunities for collaboration.
International
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes History as First Player to Score in Six World Cups
Cristiano Ronaldo made football history on Tuesday by becoming the first player ever to score in six different editions of the FIFA World Cup.
The Portuguese forward opened the scoring in Portugal’s Group K match against Uzbekistan in Houston. Just six minutes into the game, Ronaldo found the back of the net with a right-footed strike from inside the box, sending the Portuguese fans into celebration.
The “Commander” sparked excitement throughout the stadium with his iconic celebration, as supporters joined in with his famous “Siuuu!” chant to honor another milestone in the career of one of football’s greatest stars.
At 41 years old, Ronaldo has now scored in Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018, Qatar 2022, and North America 2026. With his two goals in this tournament, he has surpassed Lionel Messi’s record, as the Argentine has scored in every World Cup he played except South Africa 2010.
The Portuguese captain has also reached nine World Cup goals, matching Eusébio as Portugal’s all-time top scorer in the history of the tournament.
Ronaldo’s achievement came just one day after Messi also made history by becoming the outright leading scorer in World Cup history, reaching 18 goals after scoring twice in Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Austria.
With his appearance at the 2026 World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo has also extended another remarkable record by becoming the first player to participate in six consecutive editions of the tournament, further cementing his legacy as one of the most influential players in football history.
Central America
Costa Rica Launches Largest Police Operation in History, Dismantles Major Drug Cartel
Costa Rican judicial authorities on Tuesday announced the largest police operation in the country’s history, resulting in the dismantling of a major local drug trafficking organization allegedly led by a man who was extradited to the United States earlier this year.
More than 1,500 law enforcement officers carried out 97 raids across different regions of the country, targeting 41 suspects and seizing assets valued at nearly $22 million, according to Michael Soto, director of the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ).
Speaking in a video statement, Soto described the operation as unprecedented in scale and coordination.
“This is the largest operation we have ever conducted. Never before have we carried out so many raids with our officers working alongside prosecutors from the Public Ministry and security forces from the Executive Branch. It is historic,” Soto said.
The operation, dubbed “Riverside,” was the result of months of investigations conducted with support from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Authorities said the large-scale crackdown dismantled one of the country’s most significant criminal organizations involved in international drug trafficking, a major contributor to the security crisis affecting the Central American nation, long known for its stability and tourism industry.
According to investigators, the operation focused on uncovering the multimillion-dollar business activities of a Costa Rican criminal network allied with a Colombian group known as “Los Costeños.”
The alleged leader of the organization was identified as Edwin Pérez, also known as “Pecho de Rata,” who was extradited to the United States on March 20 alongside former Security Minister and former Supreme Court magistrate Celso Gamboa.
Both men were arrested on June 23, 2025, shortly after a legislative reform came into effect allowing Costa Rican citizens suspected of drug trafficking to be extradited to foreign jurisdictions.
Among those detained during the operation were two prison officers, two former professional football players and a model. Prosecutors indicated that the suspects could face charges including domestic and international drug trafficking, arms trafficking, possession of explosives, smuggling drugs into correctional facilities, money laundering and participation in organized criminal activities.
Authorities stated that the investigation remains ongoing and that additional arrests and asset seizures could follow as prosecutors continue to examine the network’s operations and financial structure.
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