Salvadoran Tourism Exceeds Regional Growth Expectations

A New Era for Central American Tourism

Tourism is one of Central America’s leading economic sectors. It creates jobs, attracts foreign investment, and brings international money into local economies. One metric that many countries in the region are increasingly tracking is tourist spending. How much money do visitors spend during their trips?

New data released by the Central American Tourism Integration Secretariat (SITCA) shows that tourist spending increased in most countries throughout Central America during 2025. In Salvadoran tourism, however, it increased the most.

That country experienced the greatest year-over-year improvement in average daily spending from visitors. This signals improving tourism metrics, increased traveler confidence, enhanced visitor value, and more.

“Visitor spending can often serve as a reliable indicator of overall traveler confidence and value generation at a destination.”

 Salvadoran Tourism Leads the Region with Strong Spending Growth in 2025

In terms of year-over-year growth, El Salvador saw the largest increase in average daily tourist spending.

Key Statistics:

• 2024 average daily tourist spending: $140.5
• 2025 average daily tourist spending: $155.9
• Total increase in spending per visitor per day: $15.5
• Total percent increase year-over-year: 10.9%

Salvadoran tourism easily outpaced its neighbors with this performance, assuming first place in terms of tourist spending growth.

Increased spending from tourists doesn’t just improve key metrics. When visitors spend more money, it directly impacts the profitability of countries’:

• Hotels
• Restaurants
• Transportation services
• Tour companies
• Stores
• Attractions

The influx of foreign currency also has wider benefits for the country while creating jobs in the tourism sector.

How Does Salvadoran Tourism Stack Up Against Its Neighbors?

While El Salvador saw the biggest increase, not every country in Central America saw decreased spending. Here’s how it compares to other nations in the region.

Panama: The King of Tourist Spending

Panama boasted the highest average daily spend from tourists of any country in Central America.

• 2025 average daily spend: $274
• Difference from 2024: $4 increase
• Percent change: 1.4%

Panama has long attracted international tourists and business visitors willing to spend money while vacationing in Central America. This spending hasn’t gone down, but it hasn’t increased by very much either.

Belize Sets Itself Apart with Caribbean Charm

Belize is another Central American country with a high volume of tourism thanks to its proximity to the Caribbean.

• 2025 average daily spending: $236.3
• Difference from 20 24: $8.6 increase
• Percent change: 3.7%

Average daily spending in Belize is nothing to scoff at, but its considerable coastline and marine-based attractions draw tourists with some of the highest spending capacities in Central America.

El Salvador Comes in Third

El Salvador ranked third in terms of average daily spending at $155.9. Despite being one of the smallest countries in Central America, El Salvador outperformed most of its rivals. What it lacked in spending, it more than made up for with its growth.

Costa Rica? Not So Fast

While we can compare El Salvador to some countries in the region, we cannot do so with Costa Rica. The latest figures from SITCA only went up through 2024.

2024 average daily spending: $172.5

Unfortunately, we don’t know where Costa Rica ranks in 2025. But we can assume that the figures will be better than most, considering past performance in the country.

Still, other countries saw increases as well.

Increases In Spending From Nearby Countries

Average daily spending also increased in these Central American countries:

• Guatemala: $104.1 (2.1%)
• Honduras: $79.8 (5.8%)
• Nicaragua: $45.7 (4.1%)

Notice anything? While these countries all saw an increase in spending, none of them came close to matching El Salvador.

Why Is Visitor Spending Increasing In El Salvador?

So what gives? What could be causing the uptick in spending from Salvadorian tourists? Well, there could be many reasons.

Improved Tourism Infrastructure

One of the largest reasons travelers spend more money when they visit a country is its infrastructure. Better hotels, restaurants, and transportation make travelers want to spend more time exploring what the country has to offer. And the more they spend time there, the more money they will likely spend overall.

Increased Exposure

El Salvador has been putting itself out there more and more on the international stage in recent years. As it continues to get the word out about the beautiful attractions it has to offer, you can expect the number of visitors and spend per visitor to increase as well.

Expanding Tourism Options

El Salvador has become a year-round destination for beach-goers and tourists interested in learning about its culture and history. This means that visitors have more reasons than ever to spend their money there.

Tourist Confidence is Improving

Last but certainly not least is the confidence that tourists have when they visit. The better they feel about their experience, the more money they will spend while they are there. This improvement typically reflects an increase in satisfaction from previous years.

Why Does This Matter?

The benefits of increased spending don’t stop at the influencers mentioned above. After all, an increase in the number of tourists visiting a country is just as valuable. However, when per-person tourist spending goes up, a country, its local businesses, and local workers benefit exponentially.

Tourist Stats: Average Length of Stay In Central America

Of course, there’s more to the story than just tourist spending. Another interesting metric to look at is the average amount of time tourists spend in each country.

Nicaragua Records Highest Length Of Stay

Average Length of Stay In Central America

Country         Days

Nicaragua      9.6

Honduras       8.1

Panama           8.0

El Salvador     6.7

Guatemala       6.7

Belize                6.6

While visitors in Nicaragua spend the least amount of money per day, they also spend the most amount of time in the country. So how does this play into spending?

Empty Rooms = More Spending?

Take a look at Panama and El Salvador. Both countries had lower averages when it came to how long tourists stayed. However, their daily spending was significantly higher than that of Nicaraguan tourists.

This shows that while building tourism around increasing your average length of stay is good, focusing on your per-visitor spend can be just as powerful.

“The metrics you choose to focus on when developing your tourism sector says a lot about your country’s strategy.”