The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) writes that tourism in El Salvador is at the same level as before corona. The country’s president says this is because of surfing and bitcoin.
Bitcoin, surfing and rounding up gangs
President Nayib Bukele is pleased that the UNWTO is giving recognition to his country.
“Only a handful of countries have managed to bring their tourism back to pre-pandemic levels… The reasons for this are mainly #Bitcoin and surfing. But domestic tourism is growing even more, mainly due to our crackdown on gangs.”
Tourism spending grows 30% after bitcoin
In April, Morena Valdez, the Minister of Tourism, gave a interview to the Salvadoran television channel Channel 21. There, she explained that the country’s tourism revenue has grown by 30% thanks to the implementation of bitcoin.
“El Salvador has become a good place to visit, invest and live. With the use of bitcoin, tourism has increased by 30%. Tourists interested in the implementation of bitcoin stay longer and spend more. Before bitcoin, there was a daily spend of $113 to $150, now it’s a maximum of $200 a day.”
Level of pre-pandemic due to bitcoin
The report Nayib Bukele refers to is the UNWTO ranking about the growth in the number of tourists between January and May this year. Not only does the report mention El Salvador, but other countries have also reached at least the same level in terms of revenue as before the pandemic:
“When it comes to international tourism revenue earned in destinations, a growing number of countries – the Republic of Moldova, Serbia, Seychelles, Romania, North Macedonia, Saint Lucia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Albania, Pakistan, Sudan, Türkiye, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Mexico, Croatia and Portugal – have fully recovered their pre-pandemic levels.”
Bitcoin tourism can present challenges
The UNWTO also sees challenges for countries like El Salvador, where tourism only seems to be increasing. Especially if more and more people are moving in that direction with their bitcoin. The challenges are all too familiar to us in the Netherlands. It concerns a shortage of staff in tourism, crowds at airports and flight delays and cancellations.