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Is supporting the dictatorship in El Salvador good for Central American tourism?The dilemma between the tourism boom and the erosion of human rights in El SalvadorBy Estefanía Muriel for Ruta Pantera on 10/15/2025 9:29:08 AM |
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| In recent years, El Salvador has gone from appearing in the news for violence to appearing in travel guides. That sounds like good news: more tourists, more full hotels, more businesses open. But when we look closely, the question becomes difficult: is this tourism boom worth any price? Is it really "good" for all of Central America for a country to grow its tourism while supporting measures that restrict rights and concentrate power? Two parallel stories To understand this, we must tell two parallel stories. The first is the economic story: rising tourist arrivals and money pouring into the country. The second is the political and social story: changes in the law, mass arrests, and denunciations from international organizations. The two intertwine and create a kind of illusion: there is security for those who visit, but a different reality for many citizens. Let's start with the visible part: tourism growth. In just a few years, El Salvador went from having 1.4 million visitors in 2021 to nearly 3.9 million in 2024. (ElSalvador.com, 2025; Ministry of Tourism [MITUR], 2025). For many people, this is a clear sign of success. Where tourists once looked askance, there are now beaches with famous waves, renovated historic centers, and international events that showcase the country on television. Tourism contributed a significant portion of the gross domestic product and generated jobs in hotels, restaurants, and transportation. For families that depend on tourism, this income is real and valuable: more visitors mean more customers in the store, more occupied tables in the restaurant, and more passengers on the buses that take you to the beaches (World Travel & Tourism Council [WTTC], 2023). | ||||
| Security as a marketing strategy This improvement in tourist arrivals wasn't just a matter of luck. It was the result of a powerful narrative: the promise of security. The government promoted the idea that it had changed the situation of violence that had dominated the country for years. Control strategies and measures showed a reduction in homicides and generated a sense of security on the streets; as the government itself states: "The successful results of the Territorial Control Plan and the state of emergency are being leveraged by Salvadorans, who now visit different tourist sites without fear..." (Presidency of the Republic of El Salvador, 2022, para. 1). This phenomenon describes how this narrative became a central part of the country's marketing; security was sold as the main reason to visit El Salvador. Now the other side. Growth was supported by a policy called "exceptional regime." The term is not neutral: it implies the suspension of basic constitutional rights. The analysis refers to the suspension of freedoms such as "freedom of association and assembly," restrictions on being informed of the reasons for arrest, and limitations on access to a lawyer. Furthermore, international organizations have criticized these measures for documenting "systematic and widespread" human rights violations, as well as "illegal and arbitrary" detentions and "inhumane" prison conditions; the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) notes that "73,000 people were recorded as detained..." and that there were reports of "systematic and widespread illegal and arbitrary detentions." (Inter-American Commission on Human Rights [IACHR], 2024, pp. 7–8). These phrases are not metaphors: they describe concrete procedures and effects on the lives of many people. The erosion of the rule of law In other words, the same policy that creates a sense of security for tourists has also generated a severe erosion of the rule of law. There are reports of thousands of people held in pretrial detention for long periods, massive hearings, and a lack of effective legal defense. At the same time, attacks on the press and human rights defenders have been reported. Amnesty International summarizes this diagnosis by stating that the regime has produced “thousands of arbitrary arrests, the adoption of a policy of torture in detention centers, and hundreds of deaths in state custody” and adds that “the prolongation of the state of emergency and its normalization… massively violate human rights” (Amnesty International, 2024, paras. 1, 33–36). The report speaks of a “double reality”: security for visitors and a “police state” for some citizens. This dichotomy presents an ethical and practical dilemma: is it acceptable for tourism to thrive when it is built on the restriction of the population's rights? | ||||
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