The tourism landscape between El Salvador and Guatemala is witnessing a significant transformation, positioning itself as a powerhouse within Central America’s travel sector and influencing tourism patterns across the region. In 2025, El Salvador welcomed 4.1 million international visitors, reflecting a sustained period of robust tourism growth. A significant portion of this influx consisted of Guatemalan nationals, with about 1.5 million making the journey to El Salvador in that year alone.
Concurrently, over 1.75 million Salvadorans opted to visit Guatemala, underscoring the increasing appeal of short, cross-border excursions and regional tourism. This burgeoning trend is largely facilitated by road travel rather than international flights. In fact, nearly 50% of tourists to El Salvador arrived by land, with Guatemala reporting even higher numbers of overland travelers.
This shift towards road travel has given rise to what experts call “exploration tourism,” where tourists embark on brief trips to explore beaches, mountain towns, cultural sites, and nature destinations. For Guatemalan visitors, El Salvador’s renowned surf beaches, such as Playa El Tunco, El Sunzal, and El Zonte, are major attractions. Meanwhile, Salvadorans are drawn to Guatemala’s volcanic landscapes, hot springs, and mountainous regions.
The expansion of this tourism corridor is bolstered by improved border infrastructure and streamlined migration procedures, which have helped minimize travel delays between the two countries. This growth is bolstering economic activity, benefiting restaurants, hotels, and local businesses in border areas. Officials anticipate that the trend of overland tourism will continue to rise through 2026.
This emerging regional travel market presents new challenges for Costa Rica, whose tourism sector heavily relies on long-haul international visitors primarily from North America and Europe. Analysts suggest that Central America is increasingly being marketed as an interconnected multi-country destination, encouraging tourism operators to create regional travel packages that cater to this new dynamic.